Intrepid Symphony on a Galactic Scale
by Zaya Ayame
Summary: Based on an Alternate Universe, a new Frieza story with a fresh twist on a love interest – if it can be called that. The saiyans are alive, the universe is in turmoil and all eyes are on Frieza – and that's just how she likes it. Follow Zerori as she screws with the greatest (and most dangerous) enemies just for thrills and a little cash on the side.
1. Prologue

Synopsis: Based on an Alternate Universe, a new Frieza story with a fresh twist on a love interest – if it can be called that. The saiyans are alive, the universe is in turmoil and all eyes are on Frieza – and that's just how she likes it. Follow Zerori as she literally fucks with the greatest (and most dangerous) enemies just for thrills and a little cash on the side.

Author's Note: I first want to say that I'm excited for the new movie coming out on April 18th, 2015 – Resurrection of F! It's going to be amazing, no matter the outcome! The origin of this story went through a LOT of different ideas and I want to thank to many friends and readers that helped me develop Zerori in order to actually expose her into a full story for readers who've never met her before. Her origins came from a website called Dragon Ball: Ultimate Journey, a site that has seen better days but I still hold it close to my heart because of the wonderful memories that it has given me.

For the record, as I'm writing this story, I want to offer that I still do solidarity role plays with Zerori on a one-by-one basis, but since I have a job it's a lot harder to keep up with the demand of posts! So, if we play – we play for fun and at out own pace.

A note for reviewers: While I will take criticism and welcome ideas, I will not induct ideas from reviews and I will also continue this story from start to finish, regardless if I get reviews. Yes, I like them and I don't deny that seeing a lot on a story on FFNet does make me want to read it more, however I will not condone Review Withholding. That is, in a nut shell, the act of refusing to continue a story on the basis of not receiving the demanded amount of posts. I.E: I'll post the next chapter when I get 5 reviews. Congratulations, you've just held the readers hostage!

But enough about rants; On with the story. If you would like back story information, you can send me a message or E-mail me check my profile but I would prefer you just wait until I release that on a need-to-know basis.

Ah, and lastly. The beginning is going to be confusing for a reason, but to clarify – since the literary device I'm using is confusing – scenes that are in all italics are flashback unless the chapter begins as a flashback entirely. I will drop certain cues when the story is and isn't in flashback but if you find it hard to follow, imagine the narrative in Dragon Age 2; that's my inspiration.

Chapter 1: When Beginnings Start

Alarms blared and lights strobed violently, making a hall that would normally look devoid of life shine like a Christmas tree. Down the halls, a figure was booking it as fast their body could go. Their hair flailed wildly, defying gravity in some places while covering their face in others. Their physique was toned and looked uniquely masculine, while at the same time keeping a femininely heart shaped face. Her size was average, around five and six inches, but her hair gave her a few more centimeters and gave her some intimidation. Her armor was of an old style, shoulder pad-less and wearing a tight fitting blue under suit; however, and most telling, was the condition it was in.

The left breast plate was cracked and the strap was gone completely. Her spandex had some rips in the material and on her face was a scouter - oddly fresh and unmarked.

Time seemed to slow down, no doubt a product of the adrenaline rush but she hoped it wasn't the tell-tale sign of her life flashing before her eyes...before death. For every moment that passed, she felt a vision of the past – a sequence of events that inevitably led up to this fateful encounter…

_"You told me I could do this! You threw it in my face that because I was your daughter, I was destined to be great!" She yelled, throwing her cannon off to the side. Blue eyes burned in anger as they faced the taller woman, arms crossed and an unamused frown pursing her lips._

She rounded a corner, white boots in less than stellar condition, tapping off the floor as she remembered the layout of the ship and followed her instincts. A voice over the loud speaker, familiar to all whom resided on the ship, gave her an ominous message.

"When you find her, give the Prince a message," The voice began, hissing with arrogant abandon, "She's mine now."

_Holding the glass of her fifth shot, she glared murderously at the view screen; news of the saiyans' first declaration of independence so the king was making the announcement himself. He presented his son to be the new king once he found a suitable mate, but their first order was to be their own entity. She should have known they'd rebel, if she was any indication._

The woman shuddered and grabbed a wall, stopping in front of a door with a determined expression, "To my dying breath, hell no," She muttered. The door slid open and she went inside, closing it behind her.

Inside was an armory of sorts, hand cannons and armor littering the walls, and she eyed a specific model with a sensual smile. Taking a few steps forward, feeling her victory and escape in hand, she did not realize the new security trips before it was too late. As her ankle passed the trip, a soft click was heard and she paused.

_"You've attacked the wrong Prince for the last time!"_

_"Whoa, wait, wait! Time out! That was a foul, alright?!" She yelled in desperation, holding up her hands defensively. _

Bad move; coming down on both sides if her, two electrified mechanical arms snatched her from the floor and pulled her into the air. Not only was she restrained tightly but every second she struggled, an intense electric shock would burst through her body and elicit a cry of pain. Each involuntary convulsion only produced more pain and shock through her body, her cries and screaming reaching a crescent before she suddenly stilled.

_The boy spoke softly and she could tell it was to hide the sound of his voice. Was he some sort of big shot or what? "I need you to find an orb. It has seven stars and glows darkly."_

_"Doesn't sound like a job I'd come back from."_

Her fate was sealed with her consciousness lost and the sound of a door could be heard opening. The soft scrape of clawed toes walking on metal closed in on the unconscious woman. When a pale hand reached forward, grasping the tail the hung limply at her thigh, another involuntary buck of her body jolted her but she did not wake.

The face of the being was smug with satisfaction, a purple and white crowned head and an unforgettable pink-striped and purple-tipped tail arced behind him. He gripped the tail and slowly crimped the bones until his objective was accomplished.

_"That brat!" She hissed, only narrowly avoiding the cannon fire from VERY familiar weapons. "Shoulda known he'd set me up. Abandoned temple, my tail." _

With a weak groan, the woman trembled from the pain in her backside that arced up and down her spine, "A-Ah, fuck..." She hissed. The lord behind her chuckled darkly and she stilled, suddenly starting her struggles back up again, "No!" She gasped and let out another cry when the shock coursed through her again. The being eased up his hold on her tail but did not release it.

When she calmed down, her body struggling to stay awake, she hissed lowly, "Frieza..."

_"Father, it's been done. I hope I have," A soft sniffling sound could be heard, "-I've made you proud, haven't I?" Was he crying? _

_"Yes, my son. You've done very well."_

"Without manners as usual; my dear, you really should pay attention when I give you a warning."

A snap resounded in the room and the woman let out a wall-shattering scream, her voice breaking apart as she stilled in pain. It paralyzed her and Frieza merely released her broken tail to walk around the machine. His arms were behind him, held together just above his tail, and he looked up at her with a bored expression.

_"You foolish simian!" Frieza yelled into the pods' communication system. The saiyaness in question grinned with her arms crossed._

_"Talkin' dirty again? Come on, I'll need more than that to enjoy this after I took your lost little trinket."_

_"Don't get so cocky. I have something you might be interested in."_

"Killing you has lost my interest," He began, "- this farce I'm humoring you with is the last of my mercy before the time comes that I have one of my men end you." She looked down at him with a tired eye and he 'ho'ed with interest. "You thought that I would kill you? Silly monkey, you are not worth the effort."

Still in pain, the woman began to chuckle, as if she heard a joke that no one could hear. "You would have me killed..." She hissed, finding that speaking hurt, "-and you don't...wanna know how I did it?"

_She stared at all the strange quadruped beings. Some had wings, and some had horns, but one in particular caught her attention. The one that was her prey; Rhapsody Shade, Princess and - as far as she cared - her only chance to not spend her days in hiding._

The smile on Frieza's face seemed to fall slowly and she realized that she did have an advantage, even now. She closed her eyes and he growled, "-You've nothing to say besides what could save you from the inevitable."

"Oh? You think so-?" She said softly, struggling to stay awake. "It's...your call," She breathed lastly before passing into the oblivion of unconsciousness once more. Moments passed, neither moving, before Frieza turned and walked out of the room. As he did, soldiers poured in and held their aim on the trapped unmoving figure. Before they could fire, he spoke.

"_You told me that if I found your trinket, I'd be paid. Well," Her voice dipped lower as she leaned toward him, even as his body passed through her holographic form, "I think I'll take my payment, thank you. Nice knowin' ya and all that, but our business is finished." _

"Don't finish her yet." He took a deep breath, "I want her knowledge. Bring her to the White Room." Finished, he started down the hall with a mission in mind. All of the headache that was Zerori would be a thing of the past in time but as much as she infuriated him, undermined him and made a fool of him - he was still curious...

_Vegeta knelt down to her form, eyeing her with distain, "You said you knew how to escape Frieza?" _

_She glared at him from the ground, worse for wear even as she smirked ever so slightly, "Probably…the most adept at it in the universe."_

"_Good."_

A grin touched his lips, _I will know why you returned, _He thought wryly._ One way or the other, your secrets will be mine._


	2. When Class Ends

Additional Note: The beginning will be rough for a while till I refine it but I was in a hurry to present something to start with instead of constantly second guessing my content! It WILL be refined as soon as possible so that the first chapter isn't a train wreck to read! Also, 'Chapter 1' changed to 'Prologue'. That is all and the story continues!

Chapter One – When Classes End

* * *

The ship was calm, despite the chaos it witnessed and took part in and many of the hired help were abuzz with talk of the new prisoner. Many inquired about the origins of the woman; where she came from, how she had avoided Frieza until now and what her fate would be. Many could agree that she was no longer an ordinary saiyan, but something much more dangerous. The only question many threw about quietly, for fear of death, was why.

Outside of cell block D-10, a maze-like structure that spanned the underside of the saucer ship, a blue-tinted humanoid alien with red hair in a cropped style hissed roughly at another.

"She's gonna be dead, right? Ain't no way Lord Frieza keeps prisoners like that!"

Across from him, keying in a code on his blaster rifle, the other alien with jagged teeth in an overbite and speckled skin glared at his conversationalist with contempt. They both sat across from each other, intent on being at the ready in case the prisoner was volatile and more powerful than precautions could handle. He leaned forward ever so slightly to whisper to him, "You speak any more o' this and Lord Frieza will have yer head." His tone was dark and forbidding, clamming up his partner with an obvious expression of anxiety.

Inside the cell block, where prisoners of many origins were kept – some as prizes, others as leverage – a figure could be seen. Changed to a wall in an archaic fashion, the obviously stripped feminine figure was strung immobile in her cell. Her expression was peaceful, given her state of batter and undress but she had yet understand the circumstance of her living – a circumstance that would be short lived.

The sound of a door hissing open had the two soldiers look up quickly; aiming their guns upon instinct at whomever approached the restricted area. Immediately, they lowered them with a cry, "Commander Zarbon!"

The 'Commander' was a reasonably tall teal-skinned male, decorated subtly with jewelry that complimented his handsome face. Despite his fair visage, however, he projected an imposing character and the soldiers under his command saluted him with practiced – if a bit ridged – ease. His golden eyed glare did not escape them and sweat could be seen on their skin as he contemplated something.

"The prisoner; you've spoken about her quite a lot for bunch that was ordered strictly to secrecy," He slowly crossed his arms and sadistic smile lifted his lips, "-How shall I punish you two for laziness? How do I usually do so?" They both knew that it was a rhetorical question, a response that was usually the result of being reprimanded by Lord Frieza. They were not to speak and so, they stayed silent. Luckily for them, Zarbon tipped his chin upwards and uncrossed his arms. He stepped forward and they both parted as he hissed, "Consider your enlistment extended on generosity," He muttered and they knew they were saved for the moment. They each shared a look of knowing, seeing Zarbon approach the cell of the one they spoke of, before they resumed their saluted form.

The commander stopped, facing a room that held no bars or anything archaic sans the restraints his prisoner donned. The cell was provided full light and was completely painted white – it was believed that the clarity of the pure room would bring its' inhabitants closer to insanity or enlightenment. Lord Frieza never minded one or the other when it came to his refuse, so long as they stayed alive during questioning.

"Poor lass," He murmured under his breath, eyeing the figure with a keen eye, "-your luck just isn't what it used to be, Darling." With a soft chuff of amusement, he looked to the pad at his right and keyed the code in to deactivate the barrier to the cell. A single flash of red was all the confirmation he needed before he stepped into the room and made quick work of her restraints, replacing them with a portable pair of cuffs.

Technology was a staple in the business and as such only the best in equipment was bought and provided for security under Lord Frieza's name. The cuffs would drain and release any energy forced into them in a non-lethal vapor that would incapacitate the wearer. Throwing her carelessly over his shoulder, he proceeded from the cell to the room of choice for interrogation. Her fate was surely sealed…

* * *

The first thing she smelled was herself, a stench she could have certainly gone without realizing, she reeked with blood, perspiration and the lack of any hygienic resources in the past five days. Waking up felt like a terrible morning after a nightmare and she grimaced at the feeling. For a few blissful moments, she did not know or remember anything about the past week; the running, the capturing, the beating, etc. When she did the realization almost felt shattering and she gasped the breath from her lungs. That's when she started to feel things.

She was strapped into a chair, uncomfortably, and she lamented with a disgusted scoff that she was completely at the mercy of who ever had done this. She tried to shift her legs, strapped at the calves and tried to move her arms – also strapped at the forearms and around her biceps. _No good_, she noted simply and let out a soft sigh from her nose. Luckily, the only thing that wasn't secured – be it out of error of ill-gotten mercy – was her neck and head. She looked around the room, absolutely illuminated in a bright light that she couldn't place; like the room emitted its' own light.

"Well, that's refreshing…" She muttered, thinking that most 'holding' cells were dark and cramped and a lot dirtier. That meant that this wasn't a holding cell which could only be one other thing. She looked forward and tried to distinguish a door, "Interrogation."

After a couple of moments of looking and not finding anything, she let out a soft growl in frustration and leaned her head back against the oddly soft rest. She was going to be here a while if she didn't think of a way out and she was pretty good at escape, given her record.

When the sound of a door opening caught her attention, she made eye contact with a most bothersome person she'd hope to avoid and stared blankly at the figure. "You're kidding me," She muttered.

"Fancy seeing you again, too, love," The commander's melodic voice swooned and her right eye twitched at the sound of it. He seemed to notice and gave her a very unconvincing pout, "Not happy to see me. Lord Frieza would be crushed."

"Don't get my hopes up. Please."

With an amused chuckle, Zarbon wasted no time in closing the door (and the only escape route) to make his way to her. When he got within arms' reach, she tensed upon instinct and he reached passed her neck. He grabbed something and pulled it into her view, her reaction causing him to smile darker when she glanced between the extra strap, to him, and back to the strap again.

"Fear not. It's not a beating I want from you. I simply need your absolute," He reached for another strap, "-undivided," he pulled them together and Zerori tried to pull her head away from the restraints only to have him force her head in place with a hiss, "-_attention_."

"When I get out of this, I swear on that pretty fucking green braid of yours-" She snarled, quickly feeling her blood start to boil at that contact and humiliation, before he threw a fist against her mouth to silence her threats.

"Patience; we'll get to the part where you talk _soon enough_," He drawled slowly and stepped back. The murderous expression was like a joke that he loved to listen to over and over again, taking satisfaction in her saiyan rage. The Saiyaness, thoroughly riled up from the impact, licked her lip and made a note, certain to pay back the gesture.

Zarbon, finished with his fun, reached for a seemingly uninteresting part of the wall and pressed his palm against it. For a moment, nothing happened, that was until the floor in front of her hissed open and a table was pushed from a separate compartment. So this was an interrogation room. She narrowed her eyes at him as he moved to sit at the chair. He took off his scouter and pressed a couple of commands in before laying it on the surface.

He looked at her then and, with an expectant grin, he gestured for her to begin.

She raised a brow and barked, "What?"

"Begin talking."

With a deep sigh, having expected something like this, she closed her eyes. So that was why she was alive; her last ditch plan, something she hardly ever put any faith into, was actually in play. What was she going to bring up that Frieza actually wanted to hear?

With a chuckle, eliciting a frown from Zarbon, she humorously goaded, "Got any suggestions?"

It was his turn to narrow his eyes, "The _beginning_ is a good place to start, you foolish monkey." That was such a poor insult, Zerori couldn't help but grin.

"Yeah, but **where**?" She inquired, enjoying his quickly deteriorating patience, "-Wanna know the first time I shit my pants?" She teased as she picked up her voice and started dramatically, her hands opening with a flare, "When I was a little girl, you wouldn't believe how easily scared I was when it came to 'draughnauts'-"

"ENOUGH!" The commander bellowed, slamming a fist into the table, standing in very visible anger. She noted with pleasure that he dented it thoroughly. "You promised Lord Frieza insight as to how you started your little incursion! _Start. There._" The commander, usually so put together, seemed to calm only a second after his explosion before he sat back down. Zerori was satisfied for the moment.

They stayed silent as Zerori seemed to think about her past, remembering what had led to all of this, and she realized that it wasn't as difficult as she thought it was to remember key memories. _It must have been because of all those hits; knocked something loose,_ She thought with amusement before starting . . .

* * *

Planet Vegeta, Saiyan Academy  
Thirteen years ago

Celebrations consisted of the passing of alcohol, battle tactics and the occasional sexual favor as the people of Vegeta gorged on feast and fun. The occasion was consistent with the three year graduation of the newest recruits, no longer than youthful pups of the litter, and latest soldiers of the saiyan army. Children that showed respectable power were not sent to planets to grow and destroy the species later in their life – they were forged and brought into their own by the greatest teachers their educational system could provide; their class willing.

Among many of those recruits, were masterful marksmen and powerful tank-like beings, some with the size and strength to bring honor to their proficiencies, and others with the wit and calculating mind to surprise their enemies.

And then there were the proverbial dross from steel, unworthy of participating in the festivities for bringing dishonor to their name. The number was surprisingly low, giving that those whom were not worthy were killed during their time in the academy. This year, whether the saiyans considered it a great loss or a great benefit, there was only one.

Hair pulled back and her face an absolute mess of emotions, sat the one known as Zerori. She was dressed to impressed, sporting the ceremonial armor that her mother provided for her with her status. She stood away from the throngs of barely adult classmates that expressed their excitement. They were no allies to her and never were; not a single one of them looked at her as an equal and even more of them avoided her like the plague for fear that her weakness was contagious. Those who tried to befriend her might have even been killed for the effrontery.

The only question one could ask at this point – the question Zerori tossed around in her own head like a cat with a ball - was why. Why was she the only saiyan in her entire class to fail and not be killed?

She was about to find out.

Finished with her sulking and morbid thoughts of revenge, she turned from the insipid partiers and quite childishly stomped her way toward the offices of the Royal Corps. If her father was here, she would confide in him at her home but he was no longer among the living; killed in battle but disgraced by her mother when she informed the king that he was killed giving compassion to an enemy. She didn't believe it was a lie – her father was strong and intelligent but a foolish and heartfelt man. She was only angry because it left her to live with her mother.

Her mother was an entirely different person from her father; cold and calculating, as warm as the ice their benefactor Frieza was named after, her mother Zandra was a cut-throat woman. She demanded only perfection from the soldiers she commanded and from her daughter, Zerori shuddered, even more; Unwavering perfection in the form of perfect marks, insurmountable loyalty, and an equally cold and fatal behavior.

She believed that she was a good daughter; she never talked back (anymore), she belied to the King's men words of honor and loyalty (that she never believed anymore), and she made certain that any who challenged her would face her wrath (they only did it behind close-lipped scorn and she knew better than to attack them). She had no reason to believe that she would not graduate and bring the words to her mother that she'd wanted to hear.

When she reached the chambers of the offices, she was unsurprised to see her mother in audience with the King.

"We've received word that the people of planet Shik have surrendered sooner than anticipated," The words of her matter-of-fact mother could be heard behind the throne room door that was ajar. It was the three year celebration and the King humored a close-lipped open door policy on this day. Taking a step forward, she gently opened the door and looked inside. The King stood with arms crossed and an even more cross expression on his face despite giving her mother a grunt of approval.

"Very good. Lord Frieza will expect it soon. His unexpected campaign will give us ample opportunity to declare our independence, in the meantime."

"Yes. There is one other matter, My King."

As if her arrival were expected, Zandra turned from her data pad and gestured toward Zerori. Caught in a compromising position, she blanched and quickly stood at attention, an arm over her chest and her head bowed in respect.

"My King!"

He turned his head toward his advisors' daughter, giving Zerori a rough 'hmph', "And what are you doing here? Have you come to present your disgrace officially to me?" His voice was stern but she could hear the scorn behind his words. She didn't dare looked up with the enraged expression on her face.

"No, My Lord. I-" She paused, feeling expectant eyes upon her and she tried to catch what her mother was sending her. They communicated through gesture, you see…

And the gesture she was receiving consisted of, 'Do not speak any more.'

Zandra quickly took the reins of the conversation, "My foolish daughter has come to request a boon of your majesty." She smoothly reported, and the King gave her a raised eye brow at her words.

"A boon, you say? To what achievement does she deserve such a boon?"

Zerori could not hold herself back any longer, feeling as if she was the butt of a cosmic joke, "Graduation!" She demanded, looking at the king with an incensed expression on her face. She did not want her honor begged for, nor would she accept it. She looked to her mother, "I have passed every class with valor, defeated many enemies for the Kingdom while under the tutelage of the Academy, and my victory was stolen from me. My-!" She wanted to continue, to rave that honor was taken from her by her own people, but she was silenced.

"I will not have discontent!" He bellowed and both Zandra and Zerori seemed to fold in on themselves to bow, a last ditch effort to appease the king they could be killed by. Zerori trembled, but not in fear, for what fear could she care about when her mother seemed to stand tall while providing grace to her king.

The King continued after a moment of silence, maybe contemplating both of their fates, "Zandra," He began, "As my Royal Advisor, you know the rules of engagement upon asking a favor. Your daughter has shown poor restraint."

"Yes, my Lord. She will be punished," Already, Zerori could feel the taste of blood in her mouth.

"There is no need. Her punishment shall be decided by official decree."

Her blood ran cold, like she was thrown into space, and she looked up from her bow. The King's gaze was upon her now and she could feel the harsh judgment of his next words.

"Zerori, daughter of Royal Hand Zandra, and decided Fourth Class Saiyan," He began and she felt her mouth go dry at the first demotion. Fourth class saiyans were nothing more than slaves, unworthy of fighting or as workers for the Kingdom, she felt as if she couldn't ask for a worse fate. He continued still, "By my decree, you hereby exiled from the saiyan home world to never return upon execution." She started to feel the trembling then, still not of fear, but of astonishment.

She was exiled.

Not because she was a failure, but because she offended the king.

She didn't know what possessed her, perhaps a stray grain of hope that her mother would not abandon her, as she looked to see Zandra's response to such news.

There was no gesture, because she did not raise her head. Through the King's decree, Zandra stayed silent and not once made a move to disobey the king. Should she be grateful she was not lashed by the king or her mother? Should she be content with his ruling and her mother's lack of admonishment?

_I hate you._

"I trusted you," Zerori said, her voice almost silent as she stared at her mother with an absolutely betrayed expression. She felt her throat give slightly and swallowed down the ball of emotion and rage as much as she could before she addressed the king. "How long, your Majesty?" She asked.

The King didn't punish her further, "You are to leave by tomorrow morning. By my grace, you will be provided provisions and a ship, but nothing more. Spend your final day among our people well, Zerori." He almost sounded regretful if she didn't know better. She turned from the room and didn't bother to count her regrets as she left.

It wasn't until later that night did Zerori and her mother have words; the night was full of challenges, one that Zerori would fight her mother for her position – Zandra dared to accept and goad Zerori on, but the saiyan child decided against it – and another where Zandra challenged her daughter to stay and fight the king. Zerori was no fool; at this point, she believed her mother only wanted her dead to avoid further dishonor.

Before she left her home – absolutely sure she'd rather waste her last day in drink than with her family – she looked at her right arm at the cannon she meticulously cared for and used with precision. Grasping the release latches, she plucked them off and threw her weapon to the ground with a finality she knew she'd regret for years to come. "You told me I could do this!" She hissed. "You threw it in my face that because I was your daughter, I was destined to be great!" Blue eyes burned in anger as she addressed her mother, facing the taller woman down as Zandra stood with her arms crossed and an unamused frown pursing her lips.

"Where will you go, Daughter?" She asked, "Who will decide your worth?"

The answer felt so elusive, Zerori didn't bother to care how foolish it sounded, "I will decide my worth," She hissed before turning from her mother for – hopefully – the first and final time.

Her only other thought was stray and dangerous, but she imagined how things would have ended if Frieza were here.


	3. When Work Begins

"So you weren't in league with Vegeta and his band of monkeys?" Zarbon questioned with confusion.

Zerori found herself smiling, "Does that surprise you?"

"Yes, given your history with the Prince."

The mention of his name elicited a disgusted scoff, "Look, it's bad enough that I was exiled and he didn't make it any better. What we had was nothing more than a business arrangement."

Zarbon didn't seem convinced but thankfully dropped his line of questioning. He checked something on his scouter before standing. Zerori eyed him with sudden distrust as he stepped around the table to her. He noticed and didn't bother to toy with her, the schedule taking precedence, "Relax, you get a reward for your cooperation." He grasped the strap that held her head uncomfortably against the rest and released it. She didn't bother to express gratitude and simply shook her head.

"Oh!" She gasped suddenly and hissed, " How long was I like that?!" She cracked her neck.

The commander turned away to walk toward the table, taking his scouter in hand as he chuckled, "About 5 hours, I'd say. You sure can talk when you want to."

The demi-saiyan groaned, "I was hoping I'd bored you, honestly! Who knew I was such a story teller; I didn't!" When Zarbon turned to give her a sour expression, she decided that sarcasm would be her choice weapon when she was angry. Better than getting beating, not that she minded a little pain. She gave a proud smile as he turned away to leave.

When the door shut closed, she wasted no time and immediately went to work pulling on her restraints. Sure, it might have been fruitless but if she could stretch them even a little, she might be able to slip out. However, not too much later than Zarbon had left did the door open and she stopped dramatically to lean her head to the side and pretend to put on an innocent expression.

The one to greet her looked her over and made a sound that sounded like he was offended, "You're being childish for a grown woman," He growled and Zerori glared at him.

"And you're a fucking fat ass," As rude as her jab was, the point hit home as the one whom had entered was none other than Dodoria, second hand to Frieza and larger than most soldiers in his army. He was pink and obscenely covered in what looked like hardened warts. Finish it off with large textured lip and dangerously black long nails and he was a face only a mother could love - or anyone else into whatever he was.

He growled at her loudly and slammed his data pad onto the table, "I will not be insulted by you, filthy beast!"

She'd heard worse and passively shrugged, "Sure, petaQ."

"What?! What did you just call me?!"

As amusing as insulting him was, she could tell he was getting to the boiling point of rage and a beating in her condition might kill her. Never the less, she laughed softly and looked towards the wall, "Nothing, calm down." She wasn't going to tell him it was an insult she learned from an old ship database Frieza didn't capture. It was safe for now.

Although he was still irate, he decided not to waste more time. Lord Frieza wanted to learn as much about her as possible before he retired; Dodoria was working on twenty hours and couldn't wait to sleep. The monkey could rest after she was done spilling more of her story.

Ignoring her as best he could, he took a seat at the desk, the chair below him cringing loudly. Zerori stifled her amused snickering when glared at her, daring her to say another word.

"Exiled. Pretty weak stuff if you ask me," He started, intentionally scathing her misfortune, "-What was so bad about leaving that trash pit? You sentimental?"

"Not at all." She replied, all amusement gone in a swift moment as she contemplated about how difficult it would be to fight against him. She stowed her equally scathing thoughts, though.

"So what did you do?"

"'The fuck do you think I did? The only other enjoyable activity besides fighting..."

* * *

Planet Vegeta, 'The Last Stand' Pub  
Thirteen Years Ago

..

There wasn't much that Zerori was grateful for these days, much less what she considered a blessing, but what she expected to be the worst day of her life seemed to brighten ever so slightly when she was avoided by everyone. She didn't like to interact with anyone whom only decided insults were what she was worth. So when her walk toward the upper district of Vega was sparse of anyone to talk to, she took her sweet time making her way to a choice spot to stay.

She wasn't so lucky inside, however.

"Hey guys! It's the exile!"

She stood in the door way, sans a door courtesy of the rough housing from the participants inside. With a singular eye twitch, she remembered to count how many shots she could put into each person she looked at and calmed down. She wasn't going to let her last day be a disgrace – any further than it was.

"Cut it out for one damn day," She barked, eliciting some very drunk guffawing from the males at the counter. Fools even wasted some of the rum by clashing it against one anothers' mugs, savoring their 'victory'. Passing them, she gave them a loud disgusted noise before she parked her tail in a chair and slovenly slapped her credit chip on the table.

She didn't think she had to say anything before – the bartender knew her very intimately – but when no clink of glass was heard, she glanced up at him. Completely unexpected, she reared back a little when she met a man whom was absolutely oblivious of her presence. He didn't forget her or somehow not see her, either…

He was ignoring her.

Somehow… that hurt.

"Pabla, what the fuck-?" She whispered, not bothering the hide the surprised amount of dejectedness from her voice.

It worked, maybe; he glanced at her before turning his attention away again. He seemed _extra_ specially enamored by the show on the view screen. Reeling from her feelings, for the third time today, she closed her mouth and turned to look at the screen with a sour expression, not really caring to actually see.

Today wasn't going to go well at all, she realized. "I didn't think you hated me so much," She muttered, irritation unhidden. He gave a grunt and she felt a pang of marvel at how quiet he was. And he didn't correct her; something he had a penchant for doing. "Can you at least put it aside for one-" She felt that pain seeping into her voice again and growled loudly, "- **one **drink. Now."

Finally, as if by some miracle, she actually got under his skin and he chuffed before he turned to hopefully prepare her drink.

It was then that the program on the view screen did change but the newest development lost her interest when it was the King and his brat son as the focus. _That's the last face I want to see before I leave!_ With a verbal grunt of distaste and a clink next to her hand, she didn't hesitate to tear her face away from the screen before taking the glass in hand and shooting it as quickly as her anger would allow. The burning down her throat was satisfying, liberating she'd dare to say, and she placed the glass down before barking that she wanted another.

"You really hate Vegeta that much, huh?" Came an amused but only barely audible reply – she wouldn't pick and choose what she got from the man who gave her alcohol.

"Hm? The King, the planet or his son?" she asked, eyeing him with a coy look of innocence.

He didn't bother to respond and just placed the glass down, "He's been waiting for years to make this announcement," She wasn't sure if he was making conversation or trying to defend his king. Never the less, she made a grunt of acknowledgement before downing her drink once more. She groaned and rolled her shoulder, relishing the soft clicking and clacking of the cartilage.

"Don't bother changing my mind; I won't be around to enjoy it or regret it," She waved at him for another, even as the King started to get into the point of his speech.

By the time he actually got to the crux of the announcement, she was holding her fifth (and most probably last shot before Papla would cut her off or slow her down) shot when the King mentioned their declaration for independence and another matter she wished she didn't hear about. She placed her glass down, temporarily forgetting its contents before she looked to Papla with a red-flushed face of inebriation.

"Why is that brat getting married?! He ain't even fucked a girl, 'as he?!" By now, her voice was starting to attract the attention of more patrons and the barkeep took her drink off the table. Like a gapping fish, she sluggishly reached for the retreating glass and whimpered, "Heeey, that's cruelty to criminals!" She teased, only slightly saddened he sought to take her happiness away. She looked away at the saiyans around her and slurred with an upset face, "-I didn't say nothin'!"

"Keep your trap shut, traitorous bitch, and we won't make your last day the last day alive!" One hollered and – in true saiyan fashion – riled the rest of the bar to agree with him. She threw him a disgusted look, almost tempted to take him up on his offer, but turned away with as much restraint as she could muster. Papla whispered to her.

"You've had enough."

She redirected a glare towards him, "You're supposed to help me, damn it."

"I am." He stoically replied. Regarding him closely, she opted to just lay her forehead against the table and sigh dramatically.

The table died down and she felt, for once, like she could enjoy a moment of peace.

Then, a stray – almost dangerous – dangerous thought seemed to appear before her. She had no where to go and no one that she cared about. She scarcely left Vegeta and was sure that no one beside her people knew of her. That left a whole universe to explore her options, yes, but only one caught her attention.

If only it wasn't suicide, she'd think it was a _good_ idea.

_It's not like I have anything to live for, practically speaking._ She thought, almost depressively, _So … there's no harm in it._ Opening her eyes, she learned up from the table and placed a hand against her brow. A headache was beginning to invade and she didn't want to bruise her pride anymore. Breathing out a quick sigh, she pushed her chair back and stood with a stretch, holding her elbows over her head. Given her reception, she had no problem turning away and walking out without a word. It was out of some misguided thread of hope that she glanced at Pabla and noticed him looking at her, making her pause and look at him for a few moments.

To many, it would only look like an awkward moment and nothing more. Between the two, however, it was a silent goodbye. One that Pabla thought she needed but pride kept him from saying it out loud. One that Zerori would find herself later being grateful for when she was finally alone in the dark loneliness of space. And the final goodbye she would share with her species.

The jeers of her people were ignored, blanked out with years of practice, as she left the pub and walked down the carbon streets of the district. Her plan, what she scraped together of one, was to pick a pod and take a communication buoy. One that she would make sure to encode to a frequency the saiyans couldn't decode; given her particular talents unbecoming of her species – it wouldn't be hard.

As she passed a couple of buildings, her eyes never moving from the ground while she stayed deep in thought, a sound caught her ears and made her pause. It was a very constant but soft chime, ever so often increasing in tempo.

_Saiyans don't create bombs. _She thought with a grimace of confusion and changed her direction to follow it. She wasn't going to defuse it if there was a bomb on Vegeta; her curiosity just got the better of her.

It turned out, Zerori realized, that she was in for a real treat. The sound was a beacon and a sign of things to come. Plastering itself across some of the digital info-boards, repeating over and over again, was the Planet Trade insignia and some choice recruiting words. Why it was on Vegeta would be a mystery since most (if not all) saiyans were already working for Frieza. She could only imagine it was a malfunction in the programming, something that happened often because of incompetence, but something seemed off about it. The timing, for instance…

It's like someone in the Planet Trade knew about the uprising to come, even as Frieza was away…

Perhaps…

The saiyaness grinned finally, her face reminiscent to a teenager whom finally found the key to their parents booze locker. _The risk is worth it, after all._

* * *

..

"You joined our side?" Dodoria questioned, genuinely surprised at the turn of events in her story. Zerori eyed him with annoyance.

"I'm still telling the story," She huffed, feeling her butt starting to go numb and wanting to sleep soon, "Besides, Frieza knew about that a long time ago. After all, it wasn't his army I applied to."

"Lord Cooler?"

Dodoria jumped suddenly as the saiyaness laughed loud and hard at his guess and quite nearly had tears in her eyes from the how hard she laughed. The officer seemed to lose a bit of patience with her reaction and clenched his fist.

"By the gods, **NO**! Just the thought – _Wow_." She chuckled, her mirth calmed for the moment, and she looked at him with an amused smile, something that caught the pink warrior off guard once again, "I can't handle his regiment and much worse than that, I think he'd use me for something else instead of fighting or killing. You know what they say about _first borns_…"

Dodoria had no idea what to say to that so he just gave a grunt of acknowledgement and made a final guess, "It couldn't have been the King, could it?"

She finally winked at him, "Ding, ding. That's as far as the good bits got, though. You see…"

* * *

Five days later, Planet Arlia  
Outskirts of Capital City

..

The day was a lot cooler than she expected, but given that she was from a hot and high gravity planet, it was refreshing. Upon leaving, she'd decided to mark a planet their species hadn't invaded but was on the waiting list. Frieza's waiting list to be exact. See, she had this great idea. Download the data from the circulating purge lists and make the planet aroused and rallied against the Planet Trade. A mission that would usually go smoothly would instead take more time since the inhabitance had forewarning: Bad for the Planet Trade but for a Bounty Hunter, it was rife with chaos, destruction, and a lot of people wanted to buy the services of a detached mercenary.

At this moment, she waited outside of her ship – a small and very rough clunker but it was the best she could afford without actually having to kill anyone for it. _No one has to know I used my heritage to intimidate the price._ Sitting, or rather lounging on the top of the cockpit, she enjoyed the taste of a vapor tube, a technological wonder that combined fumigated air pressure and inhalation mechanics. It actually healed bacteria and helped the lungs to partake in more air pressure; a result from Frieza's Empire and their breakthroughs.

Her tail swayed gently as the wind caressed her hair, relaxed and enjoying the peace. There was only thing she was waiting for and that was –

**Incoming Transmission**

\- right on time, apparently.

"Patch it through," She commanded and leaned up in a stretch. The communicator In the device switched on and a voice on the other side started up.

"This is Planet Trade Organization Representation, Omrul. We're contacting you in regards to your application to our organization," The voice was surprisingly professional for a corporation of Planet Destroyers.

"Yeah, hey; I don't wanna rush ya but can you get to the part where I'm in? I'm in the middle of a job right now," To add to the effect, she raised her right arm and pulled the trigger on the hand cannon she absconded from a soldier, blasting a couple of holes in a bolder.

"That's going to be some unfortunate news, it seems."

"What?" She opened her eyes and blinked in confusion. That's not-

"We've reviewed your background and-" What? She didn't have a background! She'd only just started causing mayhem! "-it is the decision of the Organization that your species isn't compatible with our mission goal. However, it is noted that if our organization has a need for a hired mercenary, we will review your-"

"FUCK OFF!"

It had happened so quickly that she almost didn't realize what had happened until she was staring at a freshly smoking arm communicator. One that was sizzling on her wrist ever so slightly but rage desensitized the pain. They denied her – the Planet Trade Organization that had hired ALL of the saiyans – denied HER.

With a loud roar of frustration, she jumped off the cockpit of her ship and threw the now piece of junk as far as she possibly could. So far, in fact, that it became a small fireball in the direction of the city she's stayed out of. Her life goals just took a turn for the worst it seemed if not even the most organized crime syndicate didn't want her.

Leaning against the ship, she tried to calm herself with a scowl, "This is just …. A minor set back." She ran a hand through her hair, finding her peace again, "-There's other ways. More 'interactive' ways to get his attention," She turned to the city and curled her lips into a smirk.

Without going into too much detail, it would later become apparent that somehow an invader had landed on Arlia and stolen documents about government officials and left their own signage in exchange: A threatening warning that Frieza knew about their existence and that it was only a matter of time before their planet would be purged. A true enough statement that got her desired effect, but she'd have to get more creative in the future.

"That was YOU!" Came a bellow from the other side of the room and in less than second, Zerori found her throat in the meaty hands of Dodoria with a choked grunt. "You don't even realize how angry Frieza was when he heard that they knew our plans! When Zarbon hears about this-!"

"Tch, like I care. That fact that you didn't know it was me _was_ the problem!" She vainly tried to pull away from him, "The point of that entire fiasco was to show that there was someone who had information and knew how to use it. When I actually gave a damn about trying to get into his army, I wanted him to see a particular skill set – not one a 'killer monkey' would possess."

"And how did that work out for you?" He snarled with a grin. Zerori grimaced and spit in his face. He gave a disgusted scoff and threw her down, the chair falling on its' side with her in it. "You're a _disgusting_ monkey, is what you are," He hissed.

Her wrist hurt but it was just a compromising position, not one that actually hurt. She looked up at his, no longer restrained at the neck, "Didn't stop your master from beating me, obviously. Besides," She grinned, knowing that even upside down she caught his attention, "you're missing the last part of my story."

"What could possibly top pissing Frieza off, huh?" He question, obviously unconvinced.

"How about how I met Vegeta?"

His agape mouth was enough to make her laugh out loud.

* * *

In Orbit of Pendari Prime (1 year later)  
Twelve years from Present

..

Her plan was finally coming together; small bits and pieces of improvising provided, she'd successfully made a name for herself. It wasn't much, but the pseudonym 'Red Doll' was cute, based on her appearance since she never wore the saiyan armor anymore. In truth, she missed it, but the point she was making would be counter productive if she wore their colors.

Now was the time; she'd intercepted a call that was made within a week by Frieza himself. It was a risky move and she was certain that he was informed of a hacked participant but all he knew was that information was leaked. Maybe he'd hire someone else, maybe he'd call off the hit but the mission was simple for her.

Kill a problematic senator and bring back some proof; Easy stuff.

Zerori looked down at the planet from her ship, in much better condition than it was when she got it thanks to her connections in the past year, and began inputting some commands in the terminal in front of her. A loud hissing sound came from behind her and the hatch to space was opening. She looked back with an excited grin and got up from her chair.

As per her usual preparation before a mission, she walked through her steps. She pulled on her armor and space suit – a temporary version of Frieza's soldiers with a much simpler design. It was a minimalist's Jump Suit, one that was used for orbital drops but had to be recharged and repaired every jump.

"Charge, 100%; fuel at full, hand cannon diagnostics complete and primed," She took her helmet in hand and released a breath of air, "Communications closed excluding a private channel," She even upgraded to a communicator in her helmet instead of her wrist, directed and commanded by a set of programmed gestures made by her hands. "…Alright, descent is nominal and time frame is clean." She moved toward the hatch, only a shield separating her from the vacuum of space.

She made a gesture, receiving a response from of her computer system.

**Entering Descent Beta 2, stand by for count down **

Her helmet chimed, telling her communication switched from the ship to her ear. As she waited for the count down, she thought about how much work she'd done that lead up to this moment. She no longer cared to embrace her saiyan heritage, nor did she feel any sort of pride to care for saiyans. This fueled her desire to be a part of Frieza army but it also made her realize that there _was_ something she could take pride in:

Her intelligence and above that, her ability to adapt.

**Beginning count down. Ten…Nine…Eight…Seven…**

She closed her eyes behind the visor, taking a slow but deep breath. When the count down finally ended, she made another hand gesture and the cabin depressurized. Space embraced her and she folded into a flat horizontal position as her orbit literally threw her into the planets' atmosphere. She was a bullet in space; a bullet from a gun that was her ship, one that would penetrate the defenses of her prey and take its' life.

Her dream to become the hunter was finally realized.

Fire was all that made up her vision, sound was reaching the highest point she could withstand before her helmet blacked out and she could hear nothing but silence. For about one minute, everything was calm and silent and she felt as though she was in oblivion. Was she dead? Is this what it would feel like to be dead?

Loud roaring jolted her from her zen-like state and she was only hundreds of feet from the surface. Landing; she had to remember to land. As if mechanically controlled, she crossed her arms in an X-shape across her chest and pulled her head forward to flatten herself and create wind resistance. She was slowing down, but her limbs felt the pressure build upon her. Her hand made another gesture and her armor powered up, lighting her HUD and showing her information needed to not kill herself.

_At least this is the hardest part_, She noted with an insane sense of confidence and a body-size chute snapped from behind her. Dim-lit red shone from the energy sail and she lurched backwards, more resistance to her descent and making it safe for her to detach and land. Her eyes stared at the ground, entranced by the land growing ever closer, _Twenty seconds…_

Suddenly, her helmet lit up and she read the words, _'Depressurized!'_ She wouldn't have the time to compensate. Making a final gesture, the sail snapped off in a violent motion and she sailed forward toward the ground faster once more. She'd have one chance at sticking the landing and not breaking her legs; if she didn't, this would end her career for good. Just as the ground seemed to be upon her, merely fifty feet from the surface, she pulled herself forward into a flip and all the power from the suit was directed downwards in to her feet.

High pressure air burst below her and she smashed against the rock and dirt with such a force, a crater immortalized her impact and dust was thrown all around. If this planet didn't have an orbital alert system, tectonic alert systems would notice her arrival.

As the dust settled and the suit began to power down, completely spent, Zerori finally took in a breathe since her departure and let out a soft groan, "Always the hardest part," She said finally and stood, feeling her legs again. She climbed out of the crater and reached up to her helmet to remove it. When exposed to the atmosphere, she coughed at the sour taste; it contained a lot more sulfur than she expected. "Should I keep it on, damn?!" Once she calmed her lungs enough to control her breathing, she made a note to only take small sips of air and keep her head as clear as possible.

She eyed the brightest city in the distance, having landed about 5 miles from civilization, "I really should have gotten just a bit closer," She muttered and began to stretch her legs, warming up. Once finished, she took a runner's stance and bolted off like a cheetah, kicking up dirt as she went.

Flying was over rated anyway…

Once inside the city, passed its slow version of security and keeping to the tops of the structures, she eyed every district that seemed to almost be separated visually. Richer estates seemed to be shrouded in whites and blues while poor districts were disguised in green and darker colors. A color-coordinated and ruled species, she'd almost guess that their psychology was made up of a simple category matrix.

_Zerori, on task. Killing, not studying. _With a hand gesture, she brought up the target's schedule and map of their location based on its' rotation. _He's in a meeting, ending in five minutes._ Following the landmarks in her visor, she swiftly covered the distance across the buildings and into a corner of the darker districts where she could see inside of her target's office. The dark violet blended her dark red ensemble and made her nearly impossible to see. Knelt in preparation, she started to activate the calibrations on her cannon.

She didn't have to look down at the number criteria to know what she was inputting, _High output, low bandwidth. Narrow the confinement beam and one shot is all I need. _It had become a phrase she worked into almost a poem. Finished with her modifications, she looked up and watched the last of the meeting come to a close. They were leaving, bidding farewell and – with aid of her targeting system – the cursor never left the senator even as she started to press in on the trigger.

Loosing the blast, she watched as it quickly bridged the distance and smashed through the glass. Something wrong happened though and she gasped softly. She didn't hit him, she was sure of it. Something was in the way! Grinding her teeth behind her lips, she watched for the smoke to clear before her eyes widened.

_No…No, no, no._ She didn't hesitate to make her way out of the violet rays and up the structures, gesturing for her ship to pick up immediately. She'd failed, that was obviously bad but what happened was even worse.

She didn't hit her target; not even close. And that senator wasn't alone – the hit was a set-up and an obvious one that she should have seen through!

Passing over a rail, she looked up and saw her ship breaking through the stratosphere like a meteor and didn't stop for a second to see if she was being pursued. _Hurry the fuck up!_

"You can't escape!" Came a familiar voice and she cringed, wasting no time to quickly jump off the edge and begin to free fall. Her ship was almost here, the loud whine of its engine over-clocking to meet her position. Just a few seconds!

A burning blast to her lower back proved to ruin her plans further and she cried out, losing her posture and arching her back to feel if the blast when through. _Damn sure felt like it!_

When the ship missed her and passed through the city like ghost, she growled lowly and reached out to grab a stray bar that held up an info-board. Gripping it securely, she bent her body into an angle to throw her feet down and smashed into the window below her, shattering the glass and landing with a stagger. She booked it down the hall and almost made it to the other side, intending to dive out the window and make it once more to her ship.

The glass was in her vision, then a bright flash blinded her and felt pain, pressure and then her back against the wall. A hand was at her throat but her vision still hadn't cleared; and now she was suffocating.

_Caught so quickly too,_ She thought shamefully. Her hands came up to the gloved ones that had her in their grip and she choked, unable to catch her breath. His voice came through her ears, a little muffled but she could understand him just fine.

"You've attacked the last wrong Prince for the last time!" Vegeta snarled.

She didn't have much air to speak of, so she had to improvise. Rearranging her grip on his wrists, she thanked her stars that he had her at arms length and thrust both of her feet into his abdomen at the same time. He staggered back, caught off guard but she saw that he was about to blast her in a moment. Taking her helmet in hand, she tore it off her head and waved a hand at him frantically.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Time out! That was a foul on my part, alright?!" She yelled. He paused and stared at her in shock, as if seeing her for the first time again. She took this time to catch her breath and inched away ever so slightly to gain some distance. His disillusioned state didn't last long and she saw him snarl at her again.

"You, an exiled traitor, dared to attack your Prince?" He hissed and she swallowed, seeing her life quickly losing years in his eyes.

"That wasn't intentional, and for that matter you shouldn't even be here!" She yelled, and once more he seemed caught off guard but entirely offended.

"You're attacking me and somehow I'M in the wrong place?!"

She thought about that and came to the conclusion pretty quickly, "Yes." Just as she was sure he'd throw rationality to the wind, she quickly continued, "I took-" She said firmly, "-the job that Frieza was going to give to another mercenary. That was the target and you being here – what, protecting him or something? – was not what I expected."

Something seemed to click in Vegeta's head at that moment and he scowled, "It was you, then…"

"What?"

"Frieza changed plans when he was over heard. He was going to kill the senator later but," He seemed to stop, thinking about something on his own.

"-But what? What is he planning, Vegeta?!" Suddenly, she was getting worried that her plan to catch his attention worked but in the wrong direction entirely.

"He wanted a certain rat eliminated."

_Oh gods no. Zerori, you dumbass._ It made sense now, "He wanted me killed because of the trouble I was causing," even as she said it, she was angry with herself for not taking that into consideration.

"No surprise, really," Vegeta scoffed, crossing his arms. "Frieza doesn't take chances when it comes to loose ends," She was starting to realize that. Looking at him, she started to realize something else important and blinked in confusion. He noticed and growled loudly, "What?"

"You…You grew up."

Sure enough, in only a year since she'd seen his smaller self before leaving, he was apparently slapped in the face with puberty and started to actually look like a man instead of a boy. The Prince grimaced at her deduction.

"You're too old for me, traitor."

Even though it was an insult, Zerori couldn't help the sadistic and offended grin, "And you're still a spoiled shit."

"Insult all you wish, weakling," He chuckled, staring down at her and she felt the thrumming of his energy increase, "-Your last words won't matter once you're dead." She looked at his hand and eyed the steadily growing energy that had her name on it. She looked back at him and saw no remorse or regret – he was a soldier and one that Frieza seemed to have taken interest in.

Why else would Frieza come down to the planet and bring Vegeta with him alone?

"Take a message to Frieza for me, okay?" Zerori blurted and Vegeta didn't waste time to listen, throwing his arm at her. Unfortunately, she reached forward just as quickly and redirected his blast toward the wall behind her, causing an explosion to burst around them. In the dust and rubble, he heard her clearly as she whispered something in his ear and then disappeared. So, she was faster than he gave her credit for…

Vegeta stayed in place, replaying her words in his head, unsure what to think.

'_When the time comes to take on Frieza, don't forget about me, kay?'_

The Prince scoffed at the idea but in his heart, he knew he would need to kill Frieza eventually and any of his brethren that were alive would be useful. Even a traitor.

"**Mr. Vegeta, a report please."** Came the voice of the foe in question and Vegeta's frown twitched. He raised a hand to his scouter to respond.

"…She escaped."

"**She? Our spy was a woman and you let her escape?"** Vegeta could hear the arrogant chuckle from the other side of the scouter.

"My apologies. It won't happen again, Lord Frieza,"

"**No, it won't. Report back; we have some disciplinary action to **_**discuss**_**."**

Ending the transmission, Vegeta turned to see some of the inhabitance eyeing him fearfully. They came to investigate the damage, he realized and he roared at them as his energy surrounded his body angrily. They panicked and tried to escape but Vegeta wasn't finished. The blast he saved for his target would take the lives of those in his way. The thought, as he destroyed half the building and some of the town with it, brought his some satisfaction before he proceeded to fly back to Frieza's ship.

This was the last time that wench would have an impression on him.


	4. When Work Ends (Part 1)

A/N: By the way, did I forget to mention there's some pretty vulgar stuff in this story? Yeah, I have a bit of a sadistic mind but there's mostly going to be a lot of mention of sexual situations, possibly themes and dark dialogue. Two chapters in two days is my treat and apology for updating in so long. Xenoverse is very addicting! Enjoy and if you like to, I always love and appreciate reviews. Tell me if this is as exciting as I think is!

EDIT: Totally forgot to add in a little game. I like to use references to keep my reader's entertained. (and because I can't help but integrate other universes!) See if you can spot them all~

* * *

Chapter 4: When Work Ends

Dodoria couldn't believe that this woman, a saiyan Halfling, could have avoided death by the hands of Vegeta at such a young age. He was starting to realize why Frieza wanted this one taken care of with such fervency in the past when she first started becoming an annoyance. Besides the fact that she was a saiyan, she had another side to her that no one could find data on. What if she was stronger than a saiyan? Just the thought made Dodoria break out into a cold sweat, remembering the words he told his master before Vegeta was destroyed.

"Hey… Hey!"

"What?" He barked, so thoroughly tired of her voice already.

"Y'mind gettin' me off the floor, Fatass?" She replied with very dry amusement. Dodoria flustered at the insult and slammed his fat hand on the table, a loud crack echoing through the room.

"Why should I, eh?! For all your annoyance, I should snap your neck here and now!" He almost felt like it, too, if Lord Frieza didn't want her alive for the whole interrogation.

Zerori, from her spot on the floor, just rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Well, for one – I'd like to sleep in a bed or maybe on my back but secondly," Her arms snapped the restraint underneath her and she threw her hand forward toward the officer. Deep red fire scorched from her hand and enveloped the room in a vortex of wind and pyrotechnics. The smirk on her face, despite the strain it put on her, felt liberating since her capture.

"Cuz 'o that, dumbass. Heh," Despite her victory, she almost felt like blacking out and let out a breath, trying to stay awake. Man, these guys really sapped her strength. She'd have to repay Frieza for her treatment here in the usual way. When she began to work on wiggling her other arm out and start her escape, she noticed movement.

A hand lashed out from the blaze, uncontrollable in her current state, and with a loud grunt of pain she was lifted from the floor (chair and all) by her hair and into the air. She bared her teeth, unwilling to show weakness even as she felt like her head was coming off her shoulders.

Dodoria, very much alive and with only minor burns, seemed to grin wildly at her. "Oh ho ho, I was waiting to see when you'd attack," He began, a dark chuckle rumbling through him as he tightened his grip on her. "I'm only disappointed that you couldn't do more damage. Lord Frieza said you'd lost your strength but you're hardly a challenge." He brought her closer, making her smell his breath as he laughed at her, "I feel foolish for being so afraid; look at you! Hah, what a jo-"

"HRAHH!"

More flames enveloped the two and this time, Dodoria could be heard screaming through out the ship even as the flames soon died out. Soldiers burst through the room, some freezing in place as they stared at the room before them.

Sat properly, still mostly strapped in, Zerori stayed still. The once white room was blackened completely, excluding the white behind the saiyaness. Dodoria struggled to move, still alive and groaning in pain with the intense burns he received, but the fear was in the eyes of the woman. Instead of blue, crystal orbs, she now possessed ephemeral red hues, glowing as it from an unknown light source that burned the souls of the soldiers inside.

From the perspective of Zerori, she was seeing through what felt like a looking glass, seeing without actually 'seeing' what was before her and could feel darkness creep in on her.

The last words she heard before unconsciousness took over were from a soldier, calling for their master.

Once again, for an unknown amount of time, she awoke. However, she was no longer in pain – unable to move, yes, but something cool was all around her. Her eyes struggled, fighting to open even just a crack, and when she did light blinded her. The sensation around was not air, but a liquid. She tried opening her eyes again, adjusting to the light, and looked around from her bowl-shaped vision in some sort of tank.

_A rejuvenation tank…how did I-?_

A voice – No, set of voices caught her attention, and she glanced to the left. The doors hissed open and two soldiers walked in. One stopped to look up at her and then jerked back. He must have noticed her being awake because he suddenly ordered the other soldier to inform Frieza. _Typical…it's no wonder he hates dealing with me, always being dragged around by his minions…_Her mind felt like it was detached, almost not even her own.

She almost closed her eyes to return to her slumber, but the door opened once more and Frieza was seen entering in all his arrogant grace. He seemed to be stuck glaring at her murderously even as he stopped and faced her completely. A pregnant silence grew between them, confusing Zerori and keeping Frieza shrouded in a veil of mystery.

…_Are you gonna do something or what?!_

"You've been very naughty," He hissed, his voice falling to a low timbre that she shuddered, even in the warm calming liquid. "So naughty, in fact, I'm struggling to not blast you and end everything right here and now." She couldn't help the stray thought that made her smile behind the oxygen mask.

_Story of my life, apparently_, He seemed to notice the slight upturn of her cheekbones because he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"And you find it amusing, somehow…You stupid monkey."

If he wasn't so irate with her, she almost would have felt a sense of guilt at causing him so much trouble. He spared her, what, five times? She wasn't sure she was able to keep count anymore.

An idea came to her suddenly and she tested to see how much strength she had in her arms. It was very little but enough for what she intended to do.

Frieza was almost about to act on his barely contained rage when he noticed she was doing something. Her arm trembled in the blue liquid, only minutely moving before it started to rise higher and higher. She moved it slowly towards the bubble-shaped window and when she felt the glass, she leaned against it a little. He narrowed his eyes at her in contemplation, trying to make sense of what she might be attempting to communicate.

Zerori couldn't believe how much intense concentration it took to move so little! She was almost done, though; just a little more was all she needed. Managing to rotate her wrist, she awkwardly arranged her palm to face her and the back of her hand toward him. The next part would nearly drain her, but as she moved her other hand up towards the mask, she could feel victory at hand.

It was a mystery, still to Frieza why she would attempt to move in such critical condition but his threshold for caring was nearly at its' end. He cursed his curiosity but it provided for some useful and amusing information. This, what the pathetic saiyan monkey was attempting, bode no different. He raised a brow when she removed the mask, what kept her breathing in the liquid.

"What are you planning, woman?"

Instead of responding verbally – which wasn't possible – she let go of the mask and let her hand fall back to her side. His eyes glanced between her face and her hand against the glass a couple of times before he noticed a finger lifting slowly. When it was raised completely and he realized her intentions – it felt like something broke within him.

"YOU INFURIATING SIMIAN!" He suddenly snarled loudly and shook with rage. How dare she mock him!?

In the liquid, Zerori had given him a full grin, showing off her teeth when she gave him his gift. Oh yes, she'd most likely die but she had to give him something memorable for her treatment. She burst out laughing under the liquid, so caught off guard by his reaction that she started to choke and drown in the water. _I didn't think this through!_

Outside of the tank, Frieza took some satisfaction in her foolish and down-right idiotic attempt to mock him and drown herself in mirth, "I should let you drown for that; think of it, your final gesture to me resulting in you killing yourself. It's almost sad, isn't it?" He was chuckling now, seeing her pathetic attempts to move beginning to slow down and become sluggish. It would only be a few seconds now and he _was_ enjoying the show…however.

He lifted his hand and turned it palm up, curling his index finger in. A very feint red dot could be seen before he released his finger in a flick and the glass around the tank shattered completely around him. Zerori fell out of the tank, face first on the floor before him as the tank powered down with liquid flowing all over the floor. As if on command, the vent on floors opened and began to suck the water in the recycling system, draining the flood.

Zerori, no longer on the verge of death and able to breathe, coughed the water that made it into her lungs and struggled to get her arms underneath her. Her body was still so weak it hurt to move at all. Above her, Frieza didn't move – his eyes beating down on her as he contemplated her existence again. As the saiyaness got her breath back, feeling her muscles start to gain some semblance of control, she pushed against the floor.

He watched as she tried to lift herself, failing to do so as well, and almost felt like it was painful to watch such a pathetic sight. When she turned herself enough to roll unto her back, he returned his glare to her face.

"…What say you, hm? Enjoy your little swim?"

He didn't receive any remarks at first, watching as she looked up at him. A silence estranged the two before she grinned once more (he was starting to hate that!) before she spoke softly.

"You… liked it…admit it…"

Her response, so beyond what he was expecting, made him groan in annoyance and pinch the bridge of his nose. Half-dead, she gave him a headache – what would she be like completely dead? At a loss for what to respond with, he decided a moment of amused honesty was what she deserved.

"Watching you fail at insulting me and flail about as you nearly drowned yourself?" He asked, almost sounding like he was at the end of his rope. He grinned sardonically at her, "Immensely. If you wanted to become a performer at my behest," He tilted his head at her, "You needn't but say the word. I'm sure I can find the most humiliating position for you."

"T-There we go…See, was…wasn't that hard, was it…?"

How did this woman function?

When at last he let out of a sigh of frustration, something Zerori took amusement in, he pulled his arms behind him and held his wrists just above his tail; his usual posture when getting down to business.

"You realize that your living beyond this moment is directly because I choose to, correct?"

Zerori gave a grunt, acknowledging that he was right. She didn't feel anger toward him at the moment since she was alive, thanks to her knowledge. Sure, he didn't need it or anything of the sort but if there was one thing about Frieza that she knew – it was that he would find it a waste to let a golden opportunity slip through his fingers. On some level, he acknowledged her cleverness and ability to evade him. Being a rival to the Great Lord Frieza did wonders for ones' ego, you see…

"Very well," He seemed content to have her cooperation, "Now, if there's no further posturing, you'll stand and follow me."

The saiyaness stayed still, unsure if he was joking or absolutely serious. He stayed in one spot for a few seconds before turning away and walking out the door.

_He's serious!?_

"A-Ah? Wait, I can't-! Frieza, you can't just-!" Even as she argued at him, his tail simply flicking off to the side as he left, she tried to push herself up on her elbows. Her muscles buckled and she fell back on the floor. She groaned in frustration, "Have a heaaartt!" She bellowed pathetically. In all honesty, she could seriously try and get up but the opportunity to banter with him was one of their few moments when they (or rather he) didn't try to kill her.

When she heard nothing from him she scoffed and tried to push what energy she had into getting in a sitting position. The slippery rejuvenation liquid didn't help either, as she almost ripped a muscle trying to stay balanced. When at last she got to her feet, trembling violently under the strain, she pushed herself with a feral snarl quickly toward the door and held onto the archway as it hissed open.

Huffing loudly, she looked both ways before taking a wild guess in which direction he went off into. _You're never wrong when you're 'right'_, she thought, remembering father's catch phrase.

As luck would have it, she very slowly caught up with a familiar back. The wall made for a terrible ballast to keep her from crumpling to the floor but it kept her going. Frieza entered a room on his right, not bothering to look back and see if she followed. With the amount of grunting it took to move, he really wouldn't have to. She made it to the door, short of breath and desiring only a bed to rest upon, but as she looked up she would regret not passing out on the floor in the healing room.

Nothing was in the room to speak of and Frieza seemed to hover good seven or so feet from the ground in front of a large red-ish purple window out to space. As she stepped inside, she looked frantically for some sort of chair or anything to rest on.

None.

"You will stand for the remainder of the interrogation," He drawled, hands still tucked behind his back as his tail leisurely swayed. Her right eye twitched, wanting to believe that he jested but… it was Frieza. He didn't really jest.

"Heartless bastard…" She muttered, unknowing that he could hear every word. Whether in his good graces or not, he didn't pursue any course of punishment and instead turned to face her.

"You may begin."

Zerori gave him a look of disturbance, "Just like that? You know where I'm at, right?"

"Yes," He said matter-of-factly, growing short with her, "_Continue."_

Zerori held up a hand, waving in surrender, "Yeah, sure. Just, uh…" She sucked in a breath and looked behind her, finding a spot on the wall to lean against. Frieza scowled at her, resisting as much as possible to blast her for insubordination. She looked back and started, "Okay, so… After Vegeta, I'm pretty sure some time passed before we actually crossed paths again…"

* * *

Omega Outpost, Sahrabarik (2 years later)

Ten years from Present

..

She would have never thought that an asteroid would ever make a home in any sense of the word. Well, she – and many others – would be wrong. To many whom had nothing, it was home and some even were proud to reside on the metallic rock. Others, respectably, had no choice. They were invariably stranded because of a promise of money gone wrong. Suffice to say, it made the atmosphere (mood that is) become interesting and spontaneous.

For her, though, it was a safe haven of chaos, privacy – if you knew where to look - and information. Gums flapped like the doors to the brothel and she listened discreetly with a drink she favored. Looking somewhat humanoid had its perks and hiding her tail wasn't difficult. She was able to push being appealing and intimidating at the same time depending on the mood and the results were as spontaneous as the rock was.

On this day, though, she'd find that it wasn't just her scoping for information.

Choosing to dress more for practicality and less fashion, she still had her armor on. Blue spandex pants with a silver satchel, red armor that covered her top but left a bit of her mid-rift showing. Her pauldrons were meant to give her some protection and act as weapons – better to bash with.

At the moment, she stayed entertained with a little dirty talk from the bartender, listening to his dark and secret desires that she loved to exchange. It was all in good fun – and possibly some physical fun later – so she didn't worry about any complications later.

"So, you snapped his neck? How hot is that?" He tried so hard to come up with something to catch her interest.

"Mmm, and I didn't stop there."

"Yeah?"

She was thoroughly amused, smiling as she spoke, "Yeah," She picked up her drink and took a swig, "I fucked him before hand."

"Oh fuck…"

Maybe she was scaring him, or turning him on, but she didn't care – true or false, she just enjoyed the vulgar and passionate vibe of the place. Trading horror stories was a past time of hers she rarely found a companion to enjoy it with.

She would have continued had she not felt a cold sensation roll over her. Her eyes glanced around, seeing if she could see anything out of place with turning her head. Leaning back, she stretched and turned to see if anything was behind her. Nothing…

_My imagination, it seems…_

It would have ended there, her paranoia, if not for one very creepy and odd turn of events on the counter next to her. A data pad, one that had an insignia she could recognize on any day, _What does Frieza want?_ She thought, picking up the pad and looking it over. There, clear as day, was the insignia and a single word 'Open' in the middle. _I can't tell if it's a trap or not._

"Mail for you?" The horny bartender quipped, leaning forward to try and take a peek. Keeping her distance, she leaned back and put the pad to her chest.

"Yes, and for my eyes only. Unless," She narrowed her eyes a bit sensually and licked the corner of her lip, "-You wanna die shortly after hearing it?"

The look on his face almost had her burst into laughter, _He might just say 'yes'!_ She looked back at the data pad and looked around. It was crowded and she didn't like crowds when documents were concerned. Saying her farewells to a suddenly saddened but sobered host, she walked towards the Gozu district. It remained pretty sparse since the gang wars with the locals. She didn't care to learn about the specifics since she rarely stuck around to butt heads with them.

Once she had her back to a wall, she pressed the beckoning button and watched with interest at the sudden shrouded figure that presented itself.

"Zerori," They began and she immediately felt goosepimply, the air along her neck standing on end. Only her people and – obviously – Frieza knew her name. She tried to pick any particulars from the dark appearance of the messenger but it was much too dark, "I trust you are alone?"

"I won't answer that question for obvious reasons," She retorted and could almost swear she saw them fidget nervously. New at the game, were they?

"G-Good, this is good," Definitely new. A smirk curled at her lips as she listened, "I require your assistance and the reward should be more than compensation if it's done well." With a tilt of her head, she 'hm'ed thoughtfully.

"I'm interested," When she could just barely see a smile, she was starting to connect the dots. He spoke softly but she could still tell he was male and the pitch gave away that he was young. Possibly not even past ten.

"Alright, the specifics will be sent to your private channel and do not ask how I have procured such information. I'm sure you're aware that this mission is being funded by the Planet Trade Organization." At that, she frowned. As he spoke, she could tell by how softly it was he was a boy, but the way he spoke – regal and arrogant – made him seem like he was some sort of big-shot. Did kids hire mercenaries now?

He continued, "I need you to find an orb. It has seven stars and glows darkly."

She didn't like the sound of that, "Doesn't sound like a job I'd come back from."

"I assure you, it isn't something you can't handle. We've looked over your accomplishments," Zerori flinched at that, having already become suspicious of the boy, "-and we find that you're exactly what we need."

"And Frieza?"

It was like she'd told him some horror story, he paled so much, she was certain that he'd give away his appearance.

"I-It doesn't have anything to do with him. We're thinking… on our own."

She chuckled darkly, "Hmmm, dangerous and risky. I like it. Don't let Frieza know or he'll blast your little scheming ass into pieces," She'd meant it jokingly but of course she never could tell good jokes. He seemed to swallow and nod with a soft 'Yes'. He gave her a little more information and cut the transmission. Like in any typical spy movie, she watched the data pad short out and smoke. She scoffed with a laugh and dropped the pad on the floor. _Kids, I swear…_

The mission in and of itself was simple, she noted as she made her way back to her ship. Find a relic in a temple that was well into the hundreds of thousands of years old and retrieve it for her client. A time and place was given to her, prompting that she had a limited amount of time to complete the mission – which was fine to her.

She thrived on pressure.

As she left the docking port, her mind still running circles about the identity of her would-be client, she made sure to start her ship remotely. Two years wasn't long to upgrade ships, and she always kept her first one, but when her eyes met the larger and much sleeker beauty, she still felt pride wash through her.

Still in need of repair but light-years better than when she found it, was the 'Voyager'. It was still a deeply mysterious vessel to her, but she was gradually learning where it came from and to whom captained it long before it wound up abandoned in space.

The origins of the ship would never be explained to Frieza, no matter the torture. There were technologies she'd yet to understand aboard and the crew consisted of one person (if you could call them a person) that would know.

She pressed the badge that she'd taken from a table inside the ship, "Doctor, I'd like a 'beam-up'."

The disgusted scoff never failed to amuse her when he responded,_ "I told you it's called a 'transport'. That's not even said ONCE by the captain!"_

"Doctor… I don't care."

"_Of course you don't,"_ He muttered, _"After all, you're only a pirate. Calling you 'Captain' wouldn't even enter my matrix,"_ She rolled her eyes and waited with as much patience as she could muster.

When her vision showed the interior of the ship and the doctor at the transport controls, she nodded with barely restrained politeness, "You're cranky as hell. Something bug your system?" She jabbed, seeing him grow more annoyed with her jokes.

"There's nothing laughable about my matrix destabilizing! I am your only knowledge to this vessel and you need to find a way to repair me. Without an engineer-!" She growled loudly and glared at him over her shoulder.

"And I told _you_ that I'm working on it!" She hissed, not used to a machine arguing with her. "Repairs require money, working makes money." She pointed at herself, "I'm _working_ on it."

"Well, you're running out of time!"

With a yell of frustration, she walked up to a panel and starting putting inputs. Caught off guard and protective of his systems, he swiftly walked over to her and demanded softly, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to put you offline for now," She snarled, almost finished with her tinkering, "One, you're annoying the shit out me. Two, you're totally right." She looked at him, "You're destabilizing and only by putting you offline will I get time. And third," She grinned, "I get to hack some systems without your constant meddling."

"You can't-!"

"Computer, deactivate EMH," She commanded and like a mirage, the uniform clad doctor disappeared. For a few seconds, she let out a sigh and enjoyed the silence. Sure, what she did was mean but he was a machine and an annoying one at that. If she had any hope of 'helping' him, she needed time to concentrate and study the technology. It didn't help that she felt like she was flying the largest and most obvious-looking cash cow in the quadrant. If Frieza knew she had something like this…

"I'd rather eat a mandragore," She muttered in disgust, "Computer," She suddenly called and a warped chime responded, "Set a course for these coordinates," She placed the pad on the console and input some of the code. The computer organized the data and chimed once more.

**COURSE CHARTED.**

Zerori winced at how loud the sound was and shook her head, making her way towards the cabin she claimed as her room. It would be a day or so before she got to the coordinates and she hadn't slept well. In time, she would find out if this mission was really worth the amount she stared at.

_Five million credits…It's enough to retrofit this ship __**and**__ take a vacation…_ She smiled, crashing on the bed that felt like heaven, _with a little extra on the side._ Closing her eyes, she slid the pad on a table nearby and felt her body start to relax. _Glad I don't have kids… Life is good…_

* * *

By the time Zerori got to the end of her story, the ship of course being improvised and changed to be nothing more than a galaxy cruiser, she was sitting on the ground. She'd long since lost the ability to care whether or not she acquiesced to Frieza's demands no more than she had to.

Frieza, of course, was not satisfied with her story. He knew she left out a lot of important details – namely the ones that had to do with him.

"That's not all that happened. You realize that you've yet to tell me what I want to know."

"I do."

"Where is it?" His voice dropped again and she laughed softly.

"Is that why you're interrogating me? Humoring me with all my stories? So you can get the location of that relic?" She tilted her head at him and he crossed his arms, losing his patience.

"That is my property that you stole, and I-"

"Really?" She interrupted him, feeling very cheeky and asinine all of a sudden, "'Cause if I remember correctly, it was your-"

A sudden crack traversed through out the throne room and Zerori grimaced as she felt her cheek burn. Her body had just relaxed and now she was on her ass, trying not to look completely laid out. Frieza was suddenly above her, his hand staying in place after he'd given her a restrained backhand.

"You didn't forget what I told you so long ago, have you?" He questioned, seemingly calm but she could tell by his body language that he was coiled as tight as a snake and ready to strike again.

"How could I? You made it _abundantly_ clear back then," As she remembered what she agreed to never mention, her mind seemed to also visit a certain night that she was also convinced to never speak of, "-Among other things."

Suddenly, she didn't seem so confident in remaining alive much longer.

"You're going to regret that," He hissed and made an ominous step closer.


	5. When Work Ends (Part 2)

A/N: After this, I'm going to try and do a chapter or two of my other stories - possibly not, though since some have lost their muse. This one is in major work since it's my final test before I write the novel I'm going to publish - in case, you were curious as to why I'm throwing these chapters out so quickly. Let me thank my reviewers as well - and respond that, _Yes_ \- I love DBZ Abridged! Here ya go!

* * *

Chapter 5: When Work Ends (Part 2)

(Present)

..  
.

Beyond the locked doors of the Lord's chambers, all was silent sans the sound of boots rushing back and forth to their respective tasks. None were aware of what was transpiring inside the chambers of their master, and none would - unless commanded to.

Obviously, this would not bode well for our saiyaness.

Inside, loud skin on skin contact, following the blunt contact of a body against a wall could be heard. Feminine grunting, following by soft chuckles seemed to permeate the air. The battle was obviously favored by Frieza, more powerful and with a generous amount of cruelty to dish out.

The saiyan in question was on her back, below a large dent in the metal wall that held a blunt impression of her body. Giving a cough, she tried to clear her lungs to invite some air but struggled visibly. Her apparent injuries varied from a swollen eye, gashes and cuts that littered the visible portions of her body and most graphic – a bone that was peeking out from her left forearm; snapped from the force of an attempted block.

With a tired groan, Zerori started to open her eyes again from her position on the ground, or attempted to do so. With one cracked open, her blurred vision deliriously scanned the room above her. It felt like she was looking through a dirty lens and screwed her eye shut once more. How long had she passed out?

"…-key… Come now..." His voice was coming into focus, like he was walking closer. "Don't tell me you're ready to end our game?" With a weak groan, Zerori opened her eye once more and saw him leering over her, hands behind his back as he took in her critically injured state with satisfaction.

"…Ugn, what?" She asked dumbly and he chuckled.

"Hm, looks like I hit you too hard. No matter," He leaned back up and seemed to hold a hand to his face, "-Another dip in the resuscitation chamber will wake you up."

"Tch," She spat, feeling blood pool in her mouth. She swished it around a couple before she physically spat it to the side. Frieza made a sound of disgust as he turned away. "Haven't changed much… I see," She noted loudly and leaned her head up to look at her arm, sluggishly lifting it. When she saw the bone poking out, she nearly gagged. "Fuuuck, you couldn't hold back a little bit?!" She hissed, dropping her arm to the floor and then wincing loudly at the pain that jolted through it.

"You've no one to blame but yourself," He arrogantly hissed, not phased in the least at her pain.

Pushing her muscles to the brink, she hefted her torso up and kept from buckling back toward the wall with her good arm. Her wounds were serious, but at her current age with her body as hardened as it was, she was used to the wear and tear. When she was in a cross-legged posture, she raised her left arm and stared at the break. It would hurt but…

With a grunt of pain, she pushed her pinky and thumb together. When a rush of coolness surged through her arm, she closed her eyes and let out a breath of air. It was soothing, this sensation…

Frieza eyed her curiously, "What did you do?"

She looked over at him, an almost high expression on her face, "Hm? Mmm, just a bit of a medical… procedure," Talking was a difficult task as the liquid that started to repair her tissues made her head rush. Frieza narrowed his eyes at her.

"You've been hiding another of your marvels from me? My dear," He chuckled darkly, "-You realize you'll never escape with these secrets."

She couldn't help the cynical laugh that bubbled from her throat, even when her situation was so dire, "That's not what my track record says. Besides," She pushed herself backwards, leaning against the wall, "-I'm finishing this story."

Despite his ire at her boldness and insubordination – a pet peeve he despised – he allowed her to relent against him. Waving a hand at her dismissively, "As you wish," His tail tapped the floor with barely controlled impatience, "-however you are warned to avoid that particular topic, lest you suffer my wrath once more and something tells me you _won't_ survive a second visitation."

Giving him a final look of distaste, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back, "You were aware of my participation the entire time, but…"

* * *

En route to Coordinates 1754.5, 4684.9  
Currently at Warp, Seventeen hours later

..

.

She was dreaming, blissfully unaware of her work as she slept soundly in the rough sheets. Around her were the grey palettes of the ship that seemed to be default to its design. Above her was a large portrait-styled glass window that separated her and space with a view she could appreciate. To her left, toward the door, was a desk that had papers and data pads splayed about messily. Pictures that littered the walls and couple on the desk depicted an auburn woman dressed in uniform. Some had a man with a dog, smiling happily with the woman in uniform.

Amongst the rubble that Zerori had yet to clean up, there was a small silver object that seemed to chime softly. As it continued repeating its sound, gradually growing louder every set of chimes, it was clear that it was beckoning someone.

As if responding, Zerori shuddered in her sleep and groaned, turning away from the sound and burying her head in the pillow. After a few moments, the noise now almost a deafening screech, she gave a frustrated yell and – with a swift turn – she chucked the pillow at a blinding speed toward the offending machine.

The sound, though muffled now, continued to chirp loudly and Zerori glared with murderous intent before the cloud of sleepiness started to lift from her.

…_Alarm…Mission…Oh, I got to get up…_ Falling back on the bed, she put a hand over her face and took a deep breath. _The bed is so nice…_ It felt like an intense struggle when she almost curled back into the bed. If only that chirping sound wasn't so absolutely unforgiving! Finally had enough, she swung her legs off the bed and launched from it, grabbing the machine from the floor in a fluid motion and – whether she intended to or not – smashed it against the wall.

She would have almost regretted it, as it was a communication device, but she'd found many more around. It wasn't a huge loss. Running a hand through her hair, she rolled her shoulder and massaged her neck muscles. It was a normal morning routine for her.

When she eyed the time from the corner of her eye, she noted that there was an hour to prepare. _By the Gods, I really wish I could just put this off…_ She complained, uncaring of how childish she might sound if she spoke aloud. She was her own businesswoman; for all she cared, she could do what she pleased as long as the job got done!

Moving toward the door, it slid open from the sides and she literally dragged her ass through the halls of the bridge. The consoles that were strategically placed remained unmanned, the ship functioning at basic parameters thanks to the Doctor's careful coding. He said this was operated by 150 people normally?

She entered the room adjacent from the office she slept in and started what looked like a high-powered shower. It functioned like any normal shower she'd seen but seemed to be powered by a different type of energy all together. Hopefully the lack of so many crewmen would allow her to use the energy sparingly, since she'd yet to keep tabs on the consumption.

**SENSORS INDICATE COORDINATES WILL BE REACHED WITHIN FIFTEEN MINUTES. PREPARING TO LEAVE WARP.**

…_What?_ Zerori stopped, fearing she almost didn't hear the words correctly while in the shower, "Computer, repeat last announcement?"

**SENSORS INDICATE COORDINATES WILL BE REACHED WITHIN FIFTEEN MINUTES. PREPARING TO LEAVE WARP.**

Oh no, no, no, NO! Like an angry cat that had water splashed on her, she slammed the door open and tore out of the cubicle with renewed, but panicked, vigor. "How could I have been so stupid to trust this hunt of junk?!" She hissed, water dripping from her nude body and splattering everywhere as she fought to find her way through the mess. Her clothing! Where did she keep it?!

_Closet! Clothes belong in closets!_ She thought in rush and nearly destroyed the door to the bridge to get back in the office.

It took ten minutes to rush her preparations and by the time she had walked through her processes for the 5th time, she leaned against the teleporter doors and banged her head against the metal. It was cool, cool enough to calm her headache ever so slightly.

**LANDING SEQUENCE INITIATION IN FIVE MINUTES. DROPPING FROM WARP.**

Well, that was her cue.

Glancing over her equipment; scouter, minimalists med-bag with provisions, galaxy map, a carbon-coated hunting knife and her arm cannon, she felt ready. Something nagged at her, though…

Reaching into her armor, she felt a smile tug at her lips when she felt the tell-tale shape of the object she never went without. Her eyes hardened and she entered the room, her motivation restored and the mission commencing.

The planet, from above, showed intense vegetation and signs of wild-life. Using the scanners of the ship, there was also an apparent population; of what, she didn't care to know. The teleporters dropped her in a remote location, still rife with plant-life but most definitely out of the way of populated areas. Looking around at her surroundings, she made a sound of annoyance; no structures that she could see.

She looked down at the galaxy map, zooming in to see the collected scans from the surface, "A lot of mountains, trees, plains and, oh look-!" She scoffed with amusement, "More trees…" After eyeing the scans, she frowned in contemplation. There was one possibility she didn't think of that hit her; structures below the surface.

Her client did say that it was an artifact and artifact usually meant ancient.

"Worth a shot," She mused and started the trek, jumping up into a tree higher than most could. Grabbing onto a limb, she started a very constant and graceful sprint from branch to branch, tree to tree – never staying too long on a piece to put her entire weight on and break it. As she did, she realized with a demure sense of irony that she behaving just as Frieza always teased her people. Instead of being offended, like most of her species became, she reveled in the freedom that accepting what she was capable of wrought.

_It's not like he's around to piss me off, anyway._ Letting her thoughts linger only a couple times more, she finally stopped upon reaching a clearing. More cliffs, birds circling overhead and water in the distance, almost like an ocean.

"Hmm," She huffed, pressing the scouter a couple of times. Readings started to appear, showing her power levels that breeched no higher than 20 or 30, weaker than her by far. She boasted a power level of 1000; sure, on her planet that made her weak but it wasn't her power that made her lethal.

It was her cunning.

When she focused on a higher power of about 28, a sudden surge made her gasp and follow the signal. Her eyes and ears didn't deceive her. Whatever that was, it tipped the scale at 1,200 and stayed there for a good second. With a growl, suspicions stoked, she followed the power.

If they had a scouter, or any way of finding out where she was, her life might be in danger. Still, _Name of the game_, she thought with a wry smirk.

So far, the report she was given had been revealed to have had two lies. She glanced at said report, grinning with glee at having found out the rouse so quickly. _'You will find that the planet has long since been abandoned, leaving only animals and plant-life. This should make the search easy.'_ As she read the report, her blue eyes glanced at the make-shift camp and eyed the insignia.

Sure, it wasn't Frieza's forces.

But did he really think she couldn't recognize Cooler's forces?

_Obviously not_, She mused and stayed tucked away in the cover of the trees. Second thing she noticed was that even though they were Cooler's forces, she recognized some of the species Frieza hired. Tilting her head, "Now, unless they share the recruitment of species… there's something very wrong here."

Such a shame she wouldn't get a chance to reach a conclusion. Eyeing the report once more, she nodded at the visual of the target. It looked like an ordinary orange ball with dark stars in it, nothing special about it. If her client wanted it, however, she'd get it.

The sound of voices made her focus on the camp as figures walked from a dark cave that was nearly completely shrouded. A blue-skinned alien with an elongated head walked towards a tent and disappeared inside. Checking her scouter, their levels would fluctuate every time one entered or exited the cave. _The planet masks energy below its surface_, she noted almost scientifically and used a data pad to record the information.

When she saw him return from the tent to the cave, she knelt down and jumped from the branch. She had to do this quickly. Her body glided on the air, almost upon her prey, when he turned around and she landed just before him. His expression of surprise and fear was lost on her as she swiftly swept his feet from under him and grabbed hold of his neck and head before he hit the ground. A slight pressure in the opposite direction and the soft snap, crackle and pop of his spine separating welcomed her victory.

Maintaining her plan to remain undetected, she dragged the corpse into a thick round of bushes and placed him in a murky and opaque pond. She watched as he sunk, slowly, until he was unable to be seen and turned back to the shrouded cave. She was doing well, almost too well, in her opinion.

However, she would not call foul yet; she just might be at the top of her game.

Her boots made little noise as she crossed the distance – around the camp and the beaten path they had made – and eyed the darkness of the entrance. It was… uninviting, but obviously not dangerous if that useless pawn was able to enter and exit unharmed.

Disappearing behind the plants, she waited a moment to listen for noise and adjust to the darkness. Pitch dark transitioned into a dull shade with shapes, good enough for her to avoid bumping into things unnecessarily. Making her way forward, she could only think to herself how odd it was that Frieza's men (Or Cooler's, but she relented) were actually roughing it out here. Only saiyans really did so, since they were the top elite squad he had.

A moment of weakness, Zerori felt a stab of curiosity as to how her brethren were doing.

_That's stopping now_, She chastised herself and paused suddenly when light hit her in the eyes. She wasn't caught, but the darkness was suddenly uplifted when she pushed through some vines. Her eyes widened at the vision before her.

Soldiers, scientists and other important figures in Frieza's army were all rushing to and fro, large metallic platforms all situated in key areas around a large and very majestic waterfall. In the middle, oddly enough, was some sort of generator. By the looks of how many scientists were crowding it, it seemed like it was a prototype of something.

_Maybe I was wrong!_ Zerori realized._ What if the planet didn't generate the field, but this machine?_ Changing her focus, she tried to count how many actual threats there were. Her scouter was in the area now so she could add up their combined battle power. The number wasn't comforting, "Alright… time to switch to plan B."

She still had no idea where the artifact was, but if she could find some information about what they were doing here she could extrapolate it just as easily. Moving through the vines and down toward a bushel of weeds taller than her waist, she crawled like a feline swiftly but silently. Occasionally, she would poke her head out just enough to reconfigure where everyone was and continued along her way.

When she reached a tent, poorly put together, she glanced between all the soldiers that might spot her and snuck in between the flaps. For all her luck, there was someone inside – they hadn't spotted her, though, keeping their attention to the maps on the table. Like a ninja, she crept up behind him and looked over his shoulder, eyeing what he took an interest in.

Frieza didn't have cartographers; it wasn't in him to hire locals from planets he was set on purging. So, to see maps that were made from the planet – that meant that her client was wrong about a third thing – it was more than just populated. It had its own people.

_I think I've seen enough_, She noted with a grin and slowly outstretched her arms toward the soldier in front of her.

Something was familiar about him… she just couldn't place it.

It was only when she'd snatched his neck in a choke hold that she realized that most of the soldier's she'd met didn't have green hair. Holding tightly, she tried to stifle his loud choking noises, even as she could tell he was almost breaking her hold.

She leaned into his ear, "Shh, calm down," She cooed, trying to lull him into loosing more air, "-You won't die. Promise, sleep…"

"Gkt," He grunted, and before she could apply more pressure, he fell to one knee and pulled her over. Slamming onto the table, she let out a gasp and was soon on the receiving end of a chokehold herself.

Suddenly, looking at his face, she didn't need to ponder about whose army this truly was.

"G-Guh, Zar-! Zarbon-?!" She gasped, eyeing him with incredulous surprise. He also seemed surprised, possibly only because he was almost taken out by her, before he grinned.

"Hah, Lord Frieza was correct, it seems," He drawled, keeping her in his grip but not choking her with as much ferocity. She struggled vainly, even as she felt the hot rage of shame. Shame that, once again, Frieza seemed to find her, attract her, and have her right where he wanted her – hook, line and sinker. She tried to kick out from the table in attempt to shove him off of her, but he closed the distance quickly and – before she could bite him in the lip for how close he was – she was thrown quite a distance out the tent and into the clearing.

Coming to a halt from her slide, she shook her head of the leaves and grass before jumping to her feet. Not that it would have mattered because escape was steadily becoming impossible as Zarbon walked from the tent and the soldiers started to fall in one by one.

"This is the rat Lord Frieza hired to catch his prize, men," He announced, crossing his arms with a snide grin. "With her _assistance_, we'll have no trouble finding what we came here to do." The collective sound of laughs, snorts, and chuckles followed soon after, like a cosmic joke that Zerori was not let in on.

Well, consider her disillusioned.

"What the fuck is this, Zarbon?" She demanded, taking a step toward him but seeing the soldiers' cannons follow her with ease. This was set-up from the beginning but just _how back_ in the beginning? He didn't seem worried about her much anymore, as he walked the distance between the two and grabbed her arm roughly. He was kind enough to answer her question, at least.

"Worry not, little saiyan; this was merely a rouse that was concocted by our dear master's behest to help his plans along more smoothly," He explained, his voice laced with arrogance. It pissed her off to no end that she was pulled along so easily but as he explained, she began to concoct her own plans to amend her mistakes. "The mission that was explained to you is still in effect, little monkey, but the stakes and reward have changed," Oh, she wasn't going to like this.

"Let me guess, before you continue," She hissed, "I'm _not_ getting paid five million credits for this job and you're going to kill me afterwards." The braided man chuckled.

"Yes and no," He responded cryptically, "Lord Frieza would never hand out such a large amount to a client, much less a saiyan, but you won't be killed afterwards," He looked to her with a facsimile of a smile and she grimaced at him in disturbance.

"You're kidding me…" She scoffed, and the pieces were finally coming together. Frieza could kill her at any time, it seemed; he just wanted to make the most out of her meddling to make a profit from her. Right under her nose; _I assure you, Zarbon; that's not happening._

But she'd play along. With a disgusted sigh, she tried to jerk her arm from him with determination to walk on her own. Instead, she was pulled toward him and against a wall that they were passing. As they walked, she noticed they were going deeper and deeper into some sort of stone construct. Vegetation was still very prevalent but it was obvious this was made by natives a very long time ago. He got in her face, grabbing her attention, as he scowled.

"Listen carefully or I'll end your existence right here," He threatened softly, his gold eyes glittering in barely contained malice. "You are to stay by my side through this entire venture. You solve the puzzles, kill the problems and then grab the objective and return to me," Her eye twitched in annoyance at his tone, even as he grabbed her forearm and applied pressure, "Is that understood?"

She was sure he could hear her grinding her teeth, "Like _Ice_, sir," She responded and his lips twitched upwards into what she thought might have been a smile.

He let go of her, "Good," Taking a step back, but keeping his front to her, he mockingly held a hand out, "Ladies first…"

Even in her situation, dire as it was, she couldn't help the roll of her eyes and scoff on her lips, "That's my line."

She didn't bother to wonder why a steady line of soldiers seemed to follow behind them; it was obvious they were the extra eyes and ears in case things went south. When they reached a set of doors that would make King Vegeta's throne room pale in comparison, she realized Zarbon wasn't kidding about puzzles.

Too bad, she hated riddles.

Before them was a set of circular rings, color coordinated with an obvious specific meaning. Outlined in very small but oddly discernable symbols, were glyphs. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to look at everything from a distance. _This is… utter nonsense._ She thought with a bit of nervousness, which didn't spell out anything good for her.

As if to remind her, Zarbon pushed her forward, "Crunch time, saiyan," He drawled, "Figure out the puzzle and get us inside."

With a growl, she glanced at him over her shoulder before taking a cautious step forward. "I'll get back with you on that…"

By the look of how dusty things were, they hadn't pushed forward, which was odd since they usually blunder about using their strength as a buffer when it got dangerous. When her foot found an indention in the ground, one that seemed to depress ever so slightly, she stepped back.

Traps; good ones, too. Her eyes scanned above them, trying to eye anything that might be out of place, put in place, or even too well in place.

Nothing was obvious, which prompted her to ask an important question.

"Why haven't you just blasted it off?"

To her annoyance, Zarbon laughed like she was a fool, "Have you not noticed we're underground? Or was that a plan to bury us all under a couple tons of rock so you can escape?" He took a step forward towards her and she felt his hand on her back. Sweat started to bead on her temple, "We can't blast it off, but if you're having trouble figuring out the puzzle, let me help you receive a hint!"

He pushed her forcefully and her boots stumbled over the pressure pads, falling at her weight. She regained her composure – and balance – just in time to avoid a blade slash at her throat. She pulled back, balancing on her toes, as different blades slashed in different directions. From a distance, she would appear to almost be dancing. Every blade she avoided forced her to step and twist in a different angle, trying to get back to where she was. However, for every step she was able to grab toward the group, she was forced forward by two when more blades seemed to materialize above her.

_I've had enough of this!_ Taking her knife from her boot, angry that she had to give up her hidden weapons' location, she reciprocated with her own furious slashes. She, however, had the advantage over these timeless traps.

Settling into a rhythm, she would dodge, dodge again, and then crash her knife into a set of blades and shatter them. Every successful movement resulted in a chain that would decrease the number of blades coming at her. She was doing well, so well that she was eliciting some whoops and hollers from her 'audience' until a blade caught her in the arm.

_I'm getting tired_, she realized, her grunts of pain and fatigue starting to reach the group.

"Ah, Ah, Ah – don't let up now, monkey," Zarbon's voice crooned and she wished he'd shut his mouth and help her instead of enjoying the show.

"She's gonna mess up!" Another one yelled, laughing as they joined in.

Having had enough, and thoroughly tired nearly being overrun, she dodged one more and – in a fluid motion – threw her blade toward the group. Zarbon didn't even try to stop it, his smile disappearing as it flew past him and into the face of the ones that laughed at her.

She wasn't without all of her weapons, they'd find. Hand cannon primed, Zerori pushed against the trigger in quick succession. Faster than her skills with a knife, the offending blades of old were reduced to ash in a matter of seconds.

She would have enjoyed the stunned expressions on the soldiers' faces that she - a saiyan - had such skill with a weapon, but a hand grasped her shoulder from behind and she was wrenched around.

As expected, Zarbon had her in his sights with a frown, "Warning number one," he stated and she let out a groan, followed by a cough. Letting her go, she fell to one knee and held a hand over her depressed armor. He'd actually cracked it from the force and she struggled to get air.

"N-Noted," She wheezed and got to her feet with a groan. His eyes followed her as she made her way to the door, sans the dismembered traps. When the pain could just barely be recognized as a dull throb, she scanned over the hieroglyphics again.

They didn't make any more sense than before, but something caught her eye. It was a hole that seemed to pass through the entire door. _A keyhole maybe?_ As she investigated it closer, an insect (or what passed for one on this planet) crawled from the hole making her balk. _Mmmm, gross._ She cringed on the inside.

Zarbon came up to her side and looked between her and the door, noticing what she was focused on. "You found something of interest?" He questioned, though it felt more like a demand. She glared at him but didn't rise to the bait.

"Possibly. It could require a key of some sort," She chuckled, feeling satirical, "or it just needs someone brave enough to stick their hand in it. I don't know."

Zarbon turned to her, a smile on his face. "Well then, I'd rather not waste time so let's test your second theory."

She turned to him, "What?" Her wrist was grabbed roughly and she realized with a gasp what he planned. Taking her elbow in his other hand, he swiftly shoved her arm in the hole, making her shout in pain.

...When nothing happened, with the exception of more insects crawling from the hole past her forearm, she let out of slow breath. Zarbon, however, was disappointed.

"I was hoping you were on to something," He mused and she turned to him with fury in her eyes. Taking her hand from the hole, she pushed him from her and aimed the cannon toward his face.

"Try that again and I'll make sure you come back to Frieza in a _box_," She hissed, locking eyes with him as he stared down at her.

"Disarm her," He commanded.

"Touch me and die," She retorted, both of them speaking to the soldiers that were torn between their dangerous prisoner and their commander.

After a couple of tense moments, he seemed to fall back a bit and held up his hands. A moment passed and she slowly lowered her weapon, a suspicious gleam in her eyes.

When she returned her attention back to the door, she didn't even see Zarbon move before he had his arm around her throat and her cannon in his hand. _Damn it!_ With a close of his hand, the machine on her arm was crushed, smoking in various places. Shaking him off, Zarbon merely stepping back, she whirled on him only to see him raise his hands again with a grin.

"Don't be like that, little saiyan. It was necessary."

"That's not what I call necessary! What if you need my help?!"

At that, he gave her a look of amused disbelief before asking a question he knew the answer to.

"And you'd give it to me?"

"Hell no," she began, rage bubbling at the surface, but he placed a finger toward her mouth, shushing her. Feral, she snapped at him and he laughed, pulling hand away.

"Such a savage beast!" He teased. She could tell he was going to continue but a rumble beside them had them both pause.

The door, puzzle unsolved, was rising. She stared at it in wonder, the commander behind her also confused but he didn't waste time with questions. He turned to his men, immediately barking orders, "Return to camp and await further instructions. Keep the natives secure and I'll inform Lord Frieza of our progress."

_No, don't tell me he's..._

"From this point on, little saiyan, it'll be you and me," He purred and she glared at him in disgust.

"How lucky for me..." Without caring for his permission, she stomped forward to lead the way. When she could feel him almost upon her, his own shoes clicking off the stone beside her, she resisted the urge to speed up. There was no need to put the mission in peril because she was ticked off.

Their walk - and she hated to call it that - brought them to another odd puzzle. But this time only one of them would be able to get across with ease.

Beyond the two, the path broke apart into a section of wide gorges, tall rock faces jutting up from a seemingly endless chasm. Zerori eyed everything with trepidation, trying to keep her face masked. She took a tentative step forward and looked over the edge.

Instantly, her stomach lurched into her throat and, with great difficulty, she managed to swallow her gasp.

Zarbon smirked, "I don't think this relic will be difficult to find at all. Come," He jumped into the air, levitating with ease. Behind him, Zerori felt her heartbeat race with fear. Fear that he would know her most kept (and shamed) secret. _Come up with something, Zerori!_

She turned away, walking at a brisk pace in the opposite direction. The commander noticed she hadn't followed and scowled. Just as he was about to repeat what he said with more force, she turned back around and lurched into a mad sprint.

"Keep up!" She taunted with a yell before she leapt from the edge and cleared the gap between her and the closest rock. Settling into her momentum, she rode it as she jumped each clearing with precision and grace.

And she would continue to do so, as long as she remembered her training.

Left in the dust, but not for long, Zarbon stared at the figure for a moment before following behind her. Something was off and he would found out what; he wasn't Frieza's Second-hand for his looks.

Catching up, he followed at her pace while keeping an eye on her. If he had to admit it, she looked very appealing (which was unheard of coming from him) as she leapt with beauty and accuracy. When she glanced at him, he glared at her and she glared back with hatred before looking forward.

He'd sooner cut his hair than admit anything like that.

It was a good three minutes before they could see the other side. Zerori felt relief, glad that her rouse would come to an end. After this, she would look into technologically assisted flight; no matter her fear of heights.

Clearing another gap, her boots caught the edge only slightly but it was enough to upset her rhythm and she grinded to a halt just before she almost went off the edge. She was out of breath, she realized and looking across the gorge at what lay before her would have been the longest leap she would have had to take.

_And I have no idea how to cross it now..._

"Enough dawdling, little saiyan, we're wasting time!" And then there was Zarbon whom floated with ease just beyond her rock. _Well_, Zerori mused, _there isn't much left to the imagination but this._

"No, I think I'll just stay right here," she drawled, stretching languidly and sitting down. "If you wanna come drag me over there," she crooked a finger at him with a smile, "-you can try."

For all his patience, Zarbon felt the hot fingers of fury tickle the back his mind. How dare she goad him! What did she have planned this time?

He crossed his arms, levitating downwards toward her. When his feet touched the rock, his gaze settled on her seemingly bored one, he felt something prod his consciousness. A thought, stray and unheard of but something about what was happening was off completely.

"This will be your second warning..." He informed her, voice threatening low. He noticed that she eyed him nervously, poorly masked, before she looked away and nodded.

That was all he needed to know.

Jumping from the rock, he threw his hand forward to blast the stone at its thin neck. As he thought, it crippled quickly and his attention went back to the saiyaness.

She was getting to her feet, caught completely off guard and running out of time. With the rock shifting beneath her, she was left with one option that had her flushed furiously.

With a great push off the rocks, she jumped toward the commander and it was his posture and expression of knowing that made her realize his knowledge. He held out a hand that grasped hers firmly, keeping her from falling into the bottomless chasm.

Their eyes locked, both now elucidated to one another and it was Zerori that turned away to break eye contact. She felt disgusting.

"I'll be reporting this to Lord Frieza," He stated, flying with her in hand to the other side. She didn't bother to respond, even as her feet touched the ground. Her legs trembled from touching the ground and, to hide it, she stomped forward.

When she felt his hand on her arm, something within her snapped. Stepping toward him, she grabbed his wrist and then fell backwards as her feet swept his legs from under him. With a surprised expression, he was thrown onto his back and the sudden sharp sensation of a blade at his throat.

Their faces were only a few inches apart, but that was all she needed to make a statement with a small chip of metal that was in her hand. She pressed it close to his neck.

"I'm cleaning the slate," She hissed, her eyes never leaving his. "No more warnings, no threats," as if to compound her words, she let the blade cut into him and blood gently ran toward the back of his neck, "Is that clear?" Her voice was barely a whisper, and he'd actually be worried she'd slash his throat if he wasn't so sure she was incapable.

He smirked, "You think you have the guts, little saiyan? My bet is that," is paused, clicking his tongue, "-you don't."

He didn't even see the elbow coming, Zerori turning her arm to slam his face to the side. She snarled in his face, "_That's_ a warning, you son of a bitch."

His face contorted as he hissed slowly, "You mangy, insufferable-!" She lifted her head with the intent to slam his forehead with hers and he took that moment to lift his hips and shift position. In a matter of seconds, he had her on her stomach with her arms behind her back. She struggled but his superior grip rendered her immobile.

"Get OFF of me!" She yelled, and he just chuckled, holding her wrists in one hand and wiping the blood from his lip in another.

"No, I think I'll keep you right here until you calm down," He licked his lip, "-if you ever calm down, that is."

In her prone position, Zerori huffed angrily, shifting every which way but found no release. She had one chance, though, to catch him off guard. She scoffed, "Yeah, well that may be a while," She began and as she spoke her tail silently unwound from her waist, reaching toward Zarbon, almost level with his neck, "-you know how we saiyan women can _BE_!" With a loud yell, she wrapped her tail around his neck and constricted his breathing.

If he hadn't let go of her wrists, her plan would have failed. Luckily for her, Zarbon panicked and reached for her tail with both hands. The moment she was free, she grabbed the wrist that had held her and pulled it down just as she threw her head backwards.

It happened so quickly, she actually got to see his dazed face before he fell, blood gushing from his nose and completely knocked out. She stared at him, her breath finally caught up and she just... stared before the realization hit.

She knocked Zarbon out. Her - A saiyan, whom was exiled, knocked out Zarbon, who was Frieza's second hand.

She was grinning madly, arrogance wafting off of her in droves as she kicked him off of her and laughed long and loudly. When she finally calmed down, a headache throbbing at her temple, she stood up shakily. She wasn't going to wait around for him to wake up. She took a couple of steps before she paused. Turning around slowly, she eyed the scouter on his face and bit her lip slightly.

_It would be a shame if he could contact Frieza the moment he woke up…_

Weighing her odds, she stepped close and knelt down to his face. Looking it over, she grimaced with a thought, _Oops_. When her head hit his face, she'd smashed the visor and a few pieces broke off. _I was hoping to get some information or even sew some dissent but this-_, she took the machine off his face to smash it in her hand_, this'll do for now._

Finally finished with her back-up plans, she stood up and walked in the direction she and Zarbon were heading. She had to thank Frieza and his men; she'd be no closer to finding this relic had they not interfered and used a prototype for hiding their energy.

Continuing inside the structure, even if it didn't have a ceiling, all around her was becoming more and more enshrouded with vegetation until there was literally a wall of plants that bared her from the rest of the tomb. Looking around, she tried to find anything that might be a cut path, a woven one, or… anything! After passing in front of it more than five times, she growled loudly. It wasn't until she turned around to lean against the middle of it in thought that she let out a gasp, falling through it. On her back, she blinked in confusion at the sudden change in scenery from the plant-wall. Like day and night, she was now in a room that was filled with technology of all types, some familiar and some alien to her knowledge. Getting to her feet slowly, she tried to take in everything bit by bit, cautiously stalking into the room.

Once she got into the middle she tried to relax her body. A difficult task considering a place like this would normally be crawling with traps. No locked door (unless you count the broken puzzle), a variation of a broken moat and no Lord in the house. She looked down at the contraption that was closest to her and tilted her head in curiosity. _It looks like… a watch? A radar?_ She reached forward, slightly grazing a finger over the surface. What she thought was dust was simply the color of the screen and she stopped.

_This was placed here recently…_

Now she knew she wasn't alone. With that thought in mind, she looked around with renewed suspicion, "Whoever is here, I want to talk to you," She really wasn't sure what would be a good idea to say but if she had an idea, "-You're in danger. A group has come to take something from you." She added as an afterthought to herself, _Never mind that it was me they hired._

As she listened for any sounds her eyes tried to take in as much as she possibly could. Some of these looked incredible but if Frieza got his hands on it… When she heard nothing, she realized what she had to do.

"Then I'm taking this," She called, stepping towards a table and grabbing the odd machine. Whatever she could find that fit, she placed in her pack and moved along until she found larger equipment. It didn't occur to her what she was stealing until she tried to understand what was before her. It was a good four and a half feet tall, horizontal slits that ran down its bottom shaft and a very small escape chute at the top. It looked like a weapon, but there were no commands that she could see, auditory or visual. Maybe connected via gestures like her weapons?

A clamor of noise made her turn to look behind her, habit forcing her to aim her arm in the direction. She groaned softly in annoyance when she remembered Zarbon destroyed her machine and stepped forward in the direction, "Hello?"

"…llo?" There was someone here.

"Yes, come out. I won't hurt you if you're not a threat," She commanded, her voice firm. For a moment, there was nothing until a head peeked out from behind a camouflaged wall. Had they been there the entire time? She moved her head downward to try and get a better look at the small person, "Who are you?"

"Sh-Shouldn't I be asking that?!" They questioned angrily and Zerori could tell it was a young boy. She waved at him to come forward in an almost lazy motion, walking toward him as she did. Instead, he curled back into the wall and she hissed.

"Fine," She stood up straight. Raising her right hand, she placed a clenched fist at the left side of her chest, "My name is Zerori." The boy appeared again, less afraid for some reason, and stepped out of the wall. He was obviously small, looking about the age of four or five and his skin a very light shade of purple. His hair, though short, was arranged in somewhat of a side-cut with a Mohawk hanging off the left side of his head. His eyes were the most intriguing, making up a mixture of many different colors. No other features seemed to make him unique, however. He was a very innocent-looking thing.

"Okay," and she raised an eye brow.

"Y-…You're very trusting all of a sudden…" She muttered and he smiled.

"You must not be bad if you told me your name," He rationalized and she blinked, utterly incredulous as his logic.

"Sure, whatever you say, kid," She receded and walked back to the tables, "-I'm taking some of these things. The things I can't, I have to destroy," She wasn't sure why she was telling this kid but something compelled her to explain why she was here. As expected, he let out a cry of anguish.

"You can't! We've worked so hard to build this! I take it back, you _are_ mean!" He yelled and she looked over at him.

"I don't care what you think of me," She started and felt silly for chastising a kid for what she was doing, "Frieza wants this shit and – simply because of that – I'm destroying it. If you knew who he was, you'd understand…" Zerori raised a fist to the machine, feeling a little disappointed she had to destroy it.

"We know of Frieza," The boy stated like it was normal. She paused with her fist in mid-air, looking back at the kid in surprise. He seemed to tremble from the knowledge and she turned to him.

"Wait, if you know, then why haven't you guys' tried to escape?"

"W-We can't!" He cried out, as if she'd asked such an obvious question, "He's enslaved most of our people and kept many of us imprisoned on our own world. It's horrible!" Her eyes narrowed, eye brows raised in an expression that looked like sadness. Resisting whatever feeling he elicited from her, she yelled at him.

"Then you know why I have to destroy it!" He flinched but seemed to get his courage back to say something. Having a feeling as to what he was going to say, she shook her head. "I can't save your people, either. Sorry, but not only is it impossible… I'm not interested."

The look on his face, something that twisted her insides apart, had her turn away to raise her fist in a fluid motion toward the machine. The metal broke upon impact, surprisingly fragile, and she watched as it shattered like glass. _Guess it wasn't a weapon…_

"Zerori!" She heard her name called and turned to yell at the kid. When she looked at him, a cold rush overwhelmed her with what she saw. His eyes were glowing a very bright blue shade, almost like he was looking into her soul. Caught off guard, she tried to take a step back into a defensive posture. When she found she couldn't move, fear started to settle in.

_What is this kid?!_ She couldn't avert her gaze from him as he seemed to stare at her in hatred. _Stop… Stop looking at me like that…_ Suddenly, his expression softened and she gasped, able to move again. Stumbling, she looked at the kid again and saw that he started to tear up and cry, tears already falling from his cheeks.

"I-I'm sorry, I just-!" He sobbing made him difficult to understand, leaving the saiyaness in a very uncomfortable situation. Her hands faltered, really unsure of what to do as they hovered in the air, before she found herself kneeling down to beckon him over.

"C-Come here," Her voice was soft, softer than she usually made it out to be, and the kid seemed to swallow his tears long enough to walk over to her. Treading unsure waters, her arms embraced the boy – stuttering ever so slightly – and she spoke to him. "I can't save your people…" She whispers, her hands holding him to her shoulder even as he tried to pull away. Her face was torn but also anguished, having felt something of what this boy was feeling when she was younger, "-I can't! But… what I _can_ do is save you." He pulled away and she let him, looking at him. His eyes were still red from his tears.

"But my family…"

"-Have already been killed…" She didn't know this to be a fact but, if time proceeded at its scheduled course, it would be inevitable. "Frieza won't leave this planet alive, once he had what he wants. And if I take it… well, same thing; whether he wins or loses, someone will lose everything."

The boy, having had his own child-like understanding of what was going on, seemed to looked down and nod morosely. Having had enough of his moping and her insecurity, she stood up and slapped a hand on his shoulder. He let out a cry and held his shoulder comically.

"Good! Now let's finish and get the hell out of here!" She commanded, a smirk sliding onto her face. Stunned, but overcome by her vitality and enthusiasm, he smiled and nodded.

"M'kay!"

..  
.

The time it took to waste the room wasn't nearly as hard as she thought it might take, given that most of the technology was created in the weak gravity and material that they were made of? Piurely for ease of function. They weren't meant to be used after a certain amount of time passed, she found.

The boy was eager to tell her where she could find what she was looking for; having known that the 'relic' Frieza looked for had no origin with the planet at all, he elucidated to her where their people found it.

"… and you mean to tell me, this thing came from space?"

"Mhm! Many, many years ago! Our people were young but our elders could read the life of an object." Zerori looked at the ball in her hands, dark stars and an orange color but it didn't seem to look anything special. "They told us, it had great powers. That a very old person with green skin but no hair created it," Looking down at the boy at her side, she gave a skeptical 'hm'.

"And they just threw it at the first planet they saw? Seems to me like a lack of insight."

After they had destroyed as much technology possible, the boy thought it might be a good idea to show her another way out of the ruin – that wasn't much of a ruin at all. It was a laboratory, one that their people hid well to keep off-worlders from invading and taking anything of value. When asked how Frieza might have known about the relic, the boy had no answer. Unsatisfied, but not annoyed, Zerori would find out soon enough.

They were almost out, the exit consisting of a series of stone halls that interconnected and would put them out near a lake. She could see the light pooling into the dimly lit corridors before a loud sound, followed by violent tremors nearly knocked her off her feet. The boy grabbed onto Zerori's leg, possibly by instinct, to keep from falling. She held a wall before clicking on her scouter to see what might be going on outside. When she read the readings and where they came from, her eyes widened.

_Oh…fuck._ All around her, numbers were ascending and descending with different targets that seemed to swarm the surface. The numbers ranged from 500 to 3500, battle powers of different beings everywhere. "Shit…" The boy looked up at her when she cursed and she looked down at him. "We need to leave _now_," She told him and he nodded fearfully.

Throwing pride to the wind, she picked up the boy and situated him over her shoulder, "Hang on," She told him. When he grabbed the pauldron of her armor, she took a step back before taking off in a sprint. The boy pulled his head down, not wanting to slow her down as she passed by the torches with lightning speed. Just then, her scouter chimed and a voice could be heard.

"Miserable saiyan!" She heard, recognizing it as the commander's voice. She smirked slightly, responding more kindly.

"Zarbon," She greeted, "-Sleep well, I hope? I didn't hit ya too hard, did I?"

"It'll be the last time you do, and I'll make sure of it!" He hissed.

"Ooo, so I did hit you too hard…"

"You won't toy with me for long, little saiyan…" He began and soon, more explosions could be heard as the rocks started to fall out of place. "We're tracking you, and soon, you'll be _begging_ for Lord Frieza's forgiveness." Her eye twitched at that and she scoffed.

"-Maybe begging for him to shut the fuck up, is more like it," She couldn't help but return and the boy looked at her in worry. She glanced at him but didn't try to comfort him. Maybe he didn't like her cursing, but she wouldn't bother to shield him from it.

"Why… you-!" Zarbon seemed so incensed right now, she would have loved to continue pissing him off… but she was in a hurry.

"Wish I could stay, but I've got shit to do. Later," And without bothering to wait for a response she took the scouter off her face and crushed it like a fruit. She finally looked at the boy, "Don't worry, he won't catch up at my speed."

Finally unfettered, she looked back to squint her eyes a bit when the light was almost upon them. Upon exiting from the tunnels, she quickly started to realize that they weren't just near a lake… they were over it – and she'd just jumped right into it. As they fell, Zerori held onto the boy and yelled quickly, "_Hold yer breath_!" before they were completely submerged in the water with a violent splash. When she stopped descending in the water, she looked at the boy – holding her breath easily – and saw that he was looking at her in a panic.

**You can't breathe under water?** A question was posed to her and she blinked, connecting the dots to realize that all of his species were telepathic. She shook her head, hair moving every which way before a molten torpedo nearly lopped her head off.

She looked up and, to her horror, energy blasts were being projected into the water. No doubt to try and fish her out and take her back to Frieza. With her power as it was, she wasn't so sure she'd make it out of his clutches this time.

**Are you okay?** The boy's voice called. Zerori gave a single nod before she swam as quickly as her legs could possibly take her. Looking down was a trip since the water itself wasn't shallow by any means. It was pitch as dark and she couldn't imagine what sort of aquamarine life survived on this planet. Frieza, of course, couldn't give two shits about anything that didn't benefit his empire.

Her lungs were just above to explode when she broke the surface under the veil of branches that were in the water. A tree had its' roots drenched half-way between land and the lake so she was glad to see that assumption was correct about the foliage being opaque.

Another blast tore through the leaves, burning them to cinders. _Oh, yeah; scouter and my energy. Well, ain't that some fuckin' shit._ She pulled herself from the water and didn't bother to see if anyone was following her before she tore through the forest. She hadn't even caught all of her breath before a searing pain bolted her in the back, causing her stumble and nearly lose her footing. The boy looked at her over her shoulder but she shook her head and continued onwards. She jumped up onto a tree branch to continue her sprinting.

"Over here!" Another blast, followed by the boy giving a gasp.

_Goddamn it!_ Jumping down, she just narrowly avoided a blast that would have gotten the boy and landed on another branch. They were closing fast! She wouldn't make it at this rate if she didn't leave now! Pressing the badge at her breast, she called quickly, "Computer, activate the doctor!"

Over the communicator, a chime could be heard and then the doctor's voice. "_What's going on?!"_

"No time to explain! Teleporters, Doctor!"

Those were the last words out of her mouth before a brown-colored boot made her face its target. She was thrown back, the boy falling from her shoulder, before she was grounding into the dirt and leaves before rolling to a stop in a knelt posture. Her cheek started to swell from the impact, the bone broken, and her vision was blurry… but she only needed to see the splotches of color to know what hit her.

"Thought you had places to be?" He crooned, nursing a swollen nose himself. With a low growl, Zerori got to her feet.

"Like you wouldn't believe; get the hell out of my way or I'll knock yer ass out again," It was an empty threat, nearly out of energy and already injured from his first hit. His smirk was all she needed to know that he took her bluff.

"Try it and see where it gets you," He taunted, clenching his fists. "Lord Frieza has had enough of your nonsense. His words were so kind; 'Bring her in, broken or not.' If I didn't know any better," He chuckled, "I'd say he has quite an array of punishments set for you."

She started to walk toward him, giving a wide berth as she began to circle like a panther, "Inform him that I won't be joining for tea," She spat with malcontent.

"I think you will," His gaze directed elsewhere and she glanced at the boy to see that he was crawling away from the two slowly. "Who is this? A lost child… without parents to care for him?" The amount of fake concern had alarm bells going off in her head.

Before she could stop herself, "You pay attention to me, you bastard," She growled, unknowing that her eyes began to flash a different color for merely fraction of a second. Unnoticed by Zarbon, he narrowed his eyes at her with a look of glee.

"I don't think so."

"Zerori!" The boy cried and before she could stop him, he was being held up by his hair toward her, the commander in question laughing at her expression of rage.

"Release him!" She yelled, taking a step forward and quickly trying to judge the distance between the two. In return, Zarbon pulled the boy to him and wrapped an arm around his neck.

"The relic," He demanded firmly. Frozen in time, Zerori couldn't think about what she could do before he started to apply more pressure to the boy's neck. "Now."

"F-fine-!" She conceded, unclenching her hands to lift them up in a consoling motion. "Just stop… for a goddamn second," She started to reach toward her bag when the boy's voice spoke once again.

**Do you know his name?!** The boy asked hurriedly and Zerori paused, thinking. Did this boy have some sort of power? Zarbon noticed her stop and growled, holding a hand out.

"Stop stalling!"

_Shit! Zarbon! What can you do with that?!_ She reached back in her bag, but her gaze was to the boy. The boy struggled at first but then, he spoke softly the man's name. Zarbon, holding the boy in his grip, seemed to freeze and then slacken his hold until the boy started to become lose.

"Put me down, Zarbon," The boy commanded, his eyes shining that pale blue again. He was telepathic, she knew, but the ability to command with a person's name hadn't occurred to her. When the boy was let out of his grip completely, Zerori ran forward as the boy crawled in her direction.

"Zerori!" He bawled, reaching his hand toward her. Their fingers were almost touching before a single flash of energy blinded her. Her eyes adjusted, looking down to expect a child. What was once a boy, young and full of life, was now a scorched and burnt body – completely lifeless. She stared at the corpse, her hands still at first before they started shaking in complete mortification.

"Oh boy," Came gruff voice from above her, "Zarbon, you sure had your hands full with this one. Good thing I was here to clean up the mess." She clenched her fist, memorizing the voice of the man whom killed the boy. Turning to look over her shoulder, she glared murderously at a large pink and bulbous creature. He wore saiyan armor and had stripped lips so fat - it hurt to not throw a fist at them. He looked at her, crossing his arms over his obese chest, "So, you're the one giving Zarbon trouble? Such a little saiyan, hah! You should be ashamed, Zarbon!"

Every word ignited a flame inside of Zerori and every time he mentioned Zarbon's name…

She couldn't stand it.

With a blood-curdling battle cry, an explosion soon replaced where Zerori was and ripped away at the vegetation and rock that was around her. Zarbon and the pink soldier held their ground, arms up to cover themselves from debris. Surrounded by a blood-red aura, the saiyaness stood amongst the chaos and looked straight at Dodoria. With an inhuman roar, she took after him in the air.

From below, Zarbon could be heard, "Don't just stand there, Dodoria! Dodge it!" Before the pink man could acquiesce, though, she was there and in his face. Just as desired, she threw a well-placed fist right the middle of his face; the impact from whatever power she was enshrouded by throwing him like a bullet through forest, cutting through the trees like he was a hot knife through butter.

She stared, levitating for the first time, at the destruction she wrought upon the boy's murderer. A low chuckle, almost too soft to hear, bubbled in her chest before she was now cackling in the abyss of her power and strength. She didn't even notice when Zarbon appeared behind her, throwing his arms under hers in a body-lock.

Trapped, but not demoralized, she struggled valiantly, "I'll kill you!" She shrieked and Zarbon almost couldn't hold her. How had she gotten so much power?! He almost didn't want to know.

Suddenly, a chirp was heard and a voice soon after, "Beginning Teleport," It said.

And just at that moment, Zerori realized where she was, what happened and what _would_ happen if Zarbon didn't let go of her. Her struggles increased, making Zarbon grunt multiple times in strain before he scoffed.

"Fine! Lord Kuriza will have to tell his father why you returned _broken_!" He yelled and arched backwards to throw her at the ground upside down. Before she could hit the ground, though, a blue light shimmered around her. The last thing she heard was Zarbon yell in frustration, the provision bag in his hand, before all around her became a grey palette once more.

The doctor's face invaded her vision an expression of overwhelming worry, "Are you alright?!"

Unsure what to do – or say – she just stared at him for a moment. Before he could ask again he seemed to stop and his eyes widened, "C-Captain…"

_I'm not his Captain_, She thought numbly before she leaned up into a sitting posture and blinked. Drops fell from her face and onto her lap, confusing her before she realized that they were tears. Why was she crying? Was it because she failed? Looking at her hand, knuckles white with how tight she gripped it, was the orange ball with dark stars.

…_A success, it seems…but why does it feel like I failed?_ Struggling to get to her feet, she held a hand over her face and started to stagger off the teleporter pad toward the door. The doctor, thrown for a loop, doted on her as she walked out and nearly collapsed against the wall.

"You need medical attention!" He yelled firmly, grabbing her upper arm. As he pulled her in the direction of the sick bay on ship, she stared at the ball in her hand. Monotonously, she commanded the ship to begin warp toward the Omega Cluster. It chimed in acknowledgement, still warped itself before she felt the ship start moving.

Even as the doctor chastised her down the hall, his voice sounded so far away. All she could look at was the stars in the orb, seven in all, and think of the sacrifices that were made for her accomplishment. _That boy…_

Her hand clenched again, her face contorting into a grimace before she felt more tears fall on the orb itself, running off the surface to drip onto the floor.

_I'm never… ever having kids…_


End file.
